After midweek disappointment in the Carabao Cup, Brighton & Hove Albion return to the Premier League on Saturday when they travel to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa.
The Seagulls lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the third round of the Carabao Cup, with Nicolas Jackson’s second-half goal knocking Roberto de Zerbi’s side out of the competition.
De Zerbi and Co have no time to dwell on the defeat against Chelsea and must quickly focus on Aston Villa.
The south coast side have had an excellent start to the season and will be aiming for four wins this weekend.
Brighton team information
Pascal Gross and James Milner were absent from the Carabao Cup loss to Chelsea due to muscle injuries and are still in doubt about the trip to Aston Villa.
Evan Ferguson is also absent due to illness but hopefully he will recover in time to face Villa.
Meanwhile, Carlos Baleba was forced to leave the field due to a suspected hamstring problem in the match against Chelsea in midweek, making his participation at Villa Park in big doubt.
Brighton’s expected line-up against Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)
Goalie
De Zerbi has rotated goalkeepers Jason Steele and Bart Verbruggen so far this season.
Verbruggen started in goal against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, so it is likely that Steele will be in the starting XI against Unai Emery’s side.
Defense
Forward Steele, Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster will be the new starters at centre-back in the Brighton squad, after being given a well-deserved rest in midweek.
Joel Veltman will replace Tariq Lamptey at right-back, while Pervis Estupinan, who led the Seagulls against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, is expected to retain his left-back position in Brighton’s squad.
Full-backs Veltman and Estupinan will play a key role in providing width and momentum to Brighton’s attacks against Villa.
Midfielder
Billy Gilmour, who was named Man of the Match following the Seagulls’ win over Bournemouth last weekend, is in contention for a starting spot after coming off the bench against his former employers on Wednesday.
With Gros injured and Baleba also likely to be sidelined, Mahmoud Dahoud is expected to form a pivotal pair with Gilmour in Brighton’s midfield.
Joao Pedro can keep his position in Brighton’s attack despite playing the cup match against Chelsea.
However, instead of leading De Zerbi’s side, he could switch to number 10 in Aston Villa’s squad on Saturday.
Attack
Simon Adingra will only face Villa after not being a substitute in midweek.
He is expected to start on the left wing in the Aston Villa squad, while Kaoru Mitoma will look to provide pace and creativity on the opposite flank.
It’s possible that Evan Ferguson will recover in time to start, but if not, De Zerbi should start with Danny Welbeck up front.
Welbeck has started the season well and will be looking to add to his goal tally.