Brighton vs Aston Villa – Match preview and team news
Brighton and Aston Villa open the Premier League season at the American Express Stadium on Sunday afternoon, twelve months on from a seven-goal thriller between the two sides at the same ground.
Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton finished eighth for the second year running and head into the new campaign with minimal rest, having drawn 0–0 away to Tromso in the Conference League play-offs on Thursday.
Unai Emery’s Villa arrive as Europa League holders and fourth-placed finishers last season, though a difficult pre-season culminated in a Super Cup defeat to PSG. Villa have won 14 of the 22 league meetings between the sides, and Hurzeler has never beaten Emery in the Premier League.
Brighton vs Aston Villa – Match preview and team news
- Date: Sunday, 23 August 2026
- Kick-off: 14:00 BST
- Venue: American Express Stadium
- Referee: Peter Bankes
- VAR: Matt Donohue
- Last meeting: Aston Villa 1–0 Brighton & Hove Albion, February 2026, Premier League
Team news
Brighton
Carlos Baleba, Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma, Stefanos Tzimas and Evan Ferguson are all unavailable, with Baleba also closing in on a move to Manchester United worth in excess of £65m. New signing Promise David is available to make his debut but is expected to feature from the bench, with Georginio Rutter leading the line. Jack Hinshelwood could return to the number ten role that yielded three goals in his final five league appearances last season, with Pascal Gross dropping into a deeper midfield position.
Aston Villa
Amadou Onana, João Gomes, Brian Madjo and Leon Bailey are all confirmed out, with Onana ruled out until at least the spring after a serious knee injury sustained at the World Cup. Johan Manzambi is yet to play for the club since his own World Cup injury. Tammy Abraham and Alejandro Garnacho are both doubts.
The most significant uncertainty surrounds Ollie Watkins, whose future is unresolved amid interest from Al-Hilal — Emery declined to guarantee his star striker would remain at the club when pressed on Friday. Zion Suzuki could be handed his full debut in goal ahead of Emiliano Martínez.
Form
Brighton
Hurzeler’s side lost their final two league matches of last season, to Leeds and Manchester United, but their squad has been refreshed with the arrivals of Luka Vuskovic, Pascal Struijk, Zadok Yohanna and Promise David. Jan Paul van Hecke, Diego Coppola, Carl Rushworth and Jeremy Sarmiento all departed this summer. The trip to Norway on Thursday leaves Brighton with a heavy travel schedule heading into their domestic opener.
Aston Villa
Villa’s summer has been defined by outgoings as much as arrivals — Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa, Donyell Malen and Lucas Digne have all left the club since their triumphant Europa League campaign. Suzuki, Matteo Ruggeri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have arrived to freshen the squad, but a testing pre-season of five defeats from seven matches, including the Super Cup loss to PSG, offers little reassurance heading into the new season.
Predicted lineups
Brighton & Hove Albion predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Weiffer, Dunk, Vuskovic, Kadioglu; Ayari, Gross; Gomez, Hinshelwood, De Cuyper; Rutter
Aston Villa predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Hemmings; McGinn, Barkley, Buendia; Watkins
How to watch Brighton & Hove Albion vs Aston Villa
The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.
Read more – De Zerbi explains where it went so badly wrong for Spurs against Brentford
See also – Aston Villa reach blockbuster ‘agreement’ with ex-Bayern Munich star
