Aston Villa have only won one of their last five matches. With that being said, they are still third on the Premier League table behind only Manchester City and Arsenal. The club has absolutely had a rough run of games, but a big contributor to that was their congested schedule with Europa League. Now, they can focus 100% on the title race for the time being. They are the better side, at home, and should pick up all three points against a Brighton side who hasn't won any of their last five.

Villa has conspired to drop points here and there but also hit the straps for about three months when they only lost once, so we mostly dismiss the pundit class that seems to go out of its way to remind that Villa aren't really a title threat. Unai Emery's squad is in a healthy third place, and still has plenty of international-caliber quality to call upon, namely Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins, the two most likely to turn this fixture on its ear. That might not take much doing as Brighton hits Villa Park in hasty retreat, with just one win in the Prem since the start of December, and Fabian Hurzeler's status behind the bench increasingly in the air. Play Aston Villa on ML