Brentford at Villa Park, night after night and BBC match facts

So it’s the day after what turned into a good night of European football at Villa Park, perhaps more in terms of results than anything else, but also a few days before another big Premier League match.

And as I’ve written a couple of times lately, we’re very busy at the end of the season, much earlier than usual and that’s why it’s another big game.

We simply cannot afford defeats. And it’s a bit bold to write, but a defeat could drop the Club below us to five points and that would probably mean we’re closer to them at the top and that feels like a slippery slope. But if we lost and the team below us won and Arsenal lost, the team below us would start to believe they can win the League.

Football is a fun old game.

And seriously. Ollie left last night and I’m not sure if we’ve heard back or not as I write this in the airport with my second beer, but it’s another injury and while I hope it’s not as bad as it could be, what if it is? Sure, we have Tammy now, but what happens if he gets hurt?

And this is another sign that we are actively participating in the end of the season. But I’m glad Tammy and Douglas are back. Tammy is an attacker, so the process of him learning what is expected, I imagine, is easier because of his role. Douglas should know or remember it and it should be faster. I suspect they will both be involved on Sunday, one way or another.

And with that, I’ll say hello to the man walking by and see if he can bring me another pint. Just over two hours to sit here.

Match the BBC Facts

• Aston Villa have never lost in their last 10 home league matches against Brentford (W4 D6), the most they have ever faced against an unbeaten team.

• Brentford won the reverse fixture against Aston Villa 1-0 in August – they have never won consecutive league meetings with the Villans before.

• Aston Villa were winless in their first five Premier League matches this season (D2 L3), scoring just one goal. However, since the start of MD6 (September 27), the Villans have won more points (43) and more matches (14) than any other team.

• After a run of eight home wins in the Premier League, Aston Villa lost 1-0 to Everton last time out at Villa Park. They have not lost consecutive home league games since February 2024.

• Brentford have lost their last two Premier League matches, losing 2-0 to Chelsea and Nottingham Forest. They last lost three consecutive league matches without scoring in March 2012 in League One.

• Aston Villa have scored a record 13 goals from outside the box in the Premier League this season, with the Villans only scoring more during a campaign in 2007-08 (16). They also had the highest share from away this term (37%), with only QPR in 2012-13 achieving a higher share from away over a full campaign (40% – 12/30).

• Only Wolves (9) have lost more away games in the Premier League than Brentford this season (8), with the Bees the only team without a draw so far (3 wins).

• Only Bruno Fernandes’ goals and assists have earned his team points (17) in the Premier League this season than Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers (15).

• Brentford full-back Michael Kayode has made 101 long throws into the box in the Premier League this season, more than any other player. He created eight chances from these shots, with no other player in the division having created more than two.

• Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins has scored six goals in his seven Premier League starts against former club Brentford, scoring only more against Brighton (9) and Arsenal (7). Watkins is just two goals away from being the second Englishman to score more than 10 goals in each of his first six Premier League campaigns after Ian Wright (1992-93 to 1997-98).