Unai Emery, the man who has brought the good times back to Aston Villa, finds himself faced with a mini crisis as he prepares for the start of the 2026-27 season.
Villa get set to visit Brighton having waved farewell to the likes of Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa and Morgan Rogers in the summer, with question marks remaining over the futures of Emi Martinez, Ollie Watkins and one or two others.
Amadou Onana, Joao Gomes, pre-season sensation Brian Madjo and summer signing Johan Manzambi are all out, while Watkins has not played since the World Cup.
This looks like an ideal time for the Seagulls to be welcoming the Villans to the Amex, but the visitors will still be a tough nut to crack in this Premier League opener.
Brighton v Aston Villa Tips Summary
Best Bet - Draw @ 13/5
Alternative Bet - John McGinn over 0.5 shots on target @ 1/1
Bet Builder - Matty Cash or John McGinn to be booked, Over 4 Villa corners & Pascal Struijk 2+ fouls committed @ 11/1
Brighton v Aston Villa Prediction
Best Bet: Draw @ 13/5
Villa look to be close to disarray as they head to the Amex, though Brighton's laboured effort in Europe on Thursday makes you wonder whether they can take advantage.
The Seagulls were held to a dour 0-0 draw at Tromso in the Conference League and clearly needed the run-out.
Scoring goals was a problem for Fabian Hurzeler's men was an issue last season and may well be again with Danny Welbeck having been sold to Chelsea.
But it's anyone's guess what Villa side lines up against them. They have been ripped apart by sales and injuries and may not be in a particularly good place.
One tame effort against Tromso may well be followed by another against Villa in a game which could easily end in a low-scoring draw.
Alternative Bet: John McGinn over 0.5 shots on target @ 1/1
Villa need their remaining big stars to stand up and be counted and you can be sure John McGinn will never shy away from a battle.
McGinn was a star last year with 10 goals and seven assists in all competitions and will be a central part in the Villans' attacking output.
Back the Scot to have at least one shot on target.
Brighton v Aston Villa Bet Builder Tip
Matty Cash or John McGinn to be booked
Over 4 Villa corners
Pascal Struijk 2+ fouls committed
Pays 11/1
For the first leg of this Bet Builder, take either Matty Cash or McGinn to be booked.
Full-back Cash was booked 12 times last season, while McGinn was cautioned in Villa's only game of the season so far, the 2-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the European Super Cup.
McGinn picked up eight yellows last term, plus one playing for Scotland.
There is enough disquiet around Brighton to believe that Villa, even with their own problems, can cause plenty of headaches.
They, for example, averaged 5.2 corners per game last season and can win more than four on Sunday.
Pascal Struijk signed off last term with three fouls committed against West Ham while playing for Leeds United and the combative Albion newcomer can kick off his Seagulls' domestic era with at least two.
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Key Match Stats
Both teams have failed to score in 12 of Brighton's last 16 matches in all competitions
Brian Madjo's goal for Villa in the Super Cup loss to PSG was his fourth goal of the summer after finding the net three times in pre-season
Brighton have dropped more Premier League points from winning positions against Villa (13) than any other top-flight club
Villa failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven league games of last season and last kept a clean sheet in an away Premier League game on January 25th, when they won 2-0 at Newcastle
Last season Villa scored more goals from outside the box (15) than any other side
Only Spurs, Chelsea and Bournemouth collected more yellow cards than Brighton (86) last season
Only Arsenal and Liverpool collected fewer than Villa (58)
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
