Aston Villa predicted line-up vs Brighton: key changes made as £35m ace lands start

Aston Villa will hope to bounce back from their desperately disappointing defeat against Olympiakos when they face a tough looking trip to Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.

Unai Emery’s men went into Thursday’s Europa Conference League semi-final first leg looking to take a major step towards securing a first European final in 42 years - but found themselves with work to do in next week’s second leg after an Ayoub El Kaabi hat-trick inspired the Greek side to a 4-2 win at Villa Park.

Despite any lingering negativity caused by that defeat, Emery’s men remain firmly in pole position to claim the fourth and final Champions League spot after top four rivals Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea on Thursday night. That meant Villa will travel to the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon with a seven-point advantage on the North London outfit - although Spurs do still have the benefit of holding a game in hand.

The visit to Brighton will present a major test of Villa’s squad - despite their hosts heading into the game looking to end a run of six games without a win after they suffered defeats against the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in recent weeks. That lull has left the Seagulls languishing in the lower half of the Premier League table and their hopes of securing a second consecutive season in European competition are now all but over.

Aston Villa latest team news

Emery has a whole host of big calls to make as his side look to take a step closer to securing a Champions League place. Not for the first time this season, the Villa manager has several key players missing after suffering long-term injuries earlier in the season. England defender Tyrone Mings and midfield duo Boubacar Kamara and Emi Buendia will all focus their attention on returning to fitness next season after the trio all suffered season-ending knee injuries in recent months.

Academy graduate Jacob Ramsey has also been ruled out for the remaining weeks of the campaign with a toe injury. Emery refused to commit over the potential availability of midfielder Youri Tielemans and goalkeeper Emi Martinez - but there is some hope left-back Alex Moreno could return to contention after missing the last four games with a calf injury.

Aston Villa predicted XI

Olsen, Cash, Torres, Carlos, Digne, McGinn, Luiz, Bailey, Diaby, Rogers, Watkins.