Aston Villa will face Brentford away from home in the Premier League on Sunday (17 December), and they will be looking for another three points.
Unai Emery is doing a terrific job at Villa Park, with Villa sitting third in the table, only two points behind league leaders Liverpool.
They have been outstanding at home this season, but Chris Sutton feels that Villa need to games away from home as well. They have managed three wins away from home so far, and if they need to get into the top four or even challenge for the title, they need to win consistently in away games.
Speaking on BBC Sport, Sutton says that he predicts a narrow 1-0 win for Villa. Ollie Watkins has been in tremendous form this season, having managed eight goals and six assists so far, and Sutton expects him to be on the scoresheet.
“Aston Villa are awesome at home, but not so good on the road – they have only won three of their eight away league games so far this season,” said Sutton.
“If they want to be in the mix for the Champions League places or even do the unthinkable and challenge for the title, they have to start winning more away, in games like this one.
“Brentford are missing Bryan Mbeumo up front but they are still streetwise, so this is a serious test. I am going for Villa to pass it with a narrow win, with Ollie Watkins to get their goal.”
Momentum
Villa must not pay heed to what the critics are saying at the moment, rather they should simply focus on getting results at the moment. It’s easy to get carried away and end up getting distracted.
The likes of Tottenham, Manchester United and Newcastle United will be aiming to get into the top four, and it will get interesting from here on. After Newcastle and Man Utd bowed out of the Champions League, they will put all their focus on the league.
Villa are undefeated in their last eight games in all competitions, and they will be charged up after securing a spot in the knockout rounds of the Europa Conference League.
Brentford have picked up just one win in their last five games, and have lost two games in a row. It won’t be easy for Villa, but they will start as favourites for this one.
