Aston Villa welcome Brentford to Villa Park on 10 October 2026 for Premier League Matchweek 6 and the gap between these two sides right now is hard to ignore. Villa sit 16th after five games with just four points and a negative goal difference, which feels genuinely at odds with what Emery was supposed to have built here. Brentford are fourth with nine points from two wins and three draws, including a 3-0 win over Chelsea. Villa's most recent highlight was a 3-2 win at Tottenham on 19 September but three weeks later they came home and lost 1-2 to Nottingham Forest, which is exactly where they cannot afford to be dropping points.
Emery has been at Villa since replacing Steven Gerrard on 1 November 2022, while Andrews is relatively new to this level, having taken over Brentford in June 2025 after Thomas Frank's departure on a contract running to 2032 and the two have barely crossed paths as managers.
Villa's last five Premier League outings read one win, one draw and three losses. Brentford's read two wins and three draws, the same points haul but a rather different mood: the Bees have been grinding out results even when not dominant, whereas Villa have shown they can win at Spurs but then ship two at home to Forest.
No absences reported for either side, so both managers have their first choice options available. For Villa, that means John McGinn in midfield, Emiliano Buendía as the creative hub, Nicolas Jackson up front and Boubacar Kamara as the defensive anchor. Brentford line up with Schade as their top scorer, Vitaly Janelt screening the midfield and recycling possession quickly, Igor Thiago leading the line and Kristoffer Ajer anchoring the defence.
Emery's Villa want to control possession, move the ball patiently through midfield and use Buendía's movement in the half space to drop between the lines and find pockets for Jackson in behind. McGinn and Kamara do the structural work behind him, with Jackson operating as the striker who can hold play up and run in behind. Andrews, meanwhile, has built Brentford to press hard in midfield, force turnovers and get the ball to Schade in space as quickly as possible. Janelt sits as the defensive screen, winning the ball and recycling it before the press can properly build, while Thiago's physicality and Ajer's aerial strength give them options when the ball goes long. Villa's backline will also need to stay alert at corners and free kicks, where Brentford have been a consistent threat.
The game within the game is probably McGinn against Janelt in the middle third. If Janelt disrupts Villa's build up, Brentford find Schade in behind on the counter, if McGinn gets on the ball cleanly and Buendía finds those pockets between the lines, Villa should be able to create chances. Jackson's aerial duels with Ajer will run alongside that as a secondary thread: if Villa are going to score from open play, it probably comes through that channel.
The most recent meeting ended 1-0 to Brentford at their ground in February 2026. This one looks likely to go through the same tight, attritional shape, with Villa dominating possession through Buendía and McGinn while Jackson tests Ajer in behind. Brentford's pace in transition through Schade and their set piece threat means Villa's backline will not have a comfortable evening but Villa have shown considerably more resolve at home than on the road this season. Buendía dropping into the half space and turning to play through Brentford's lines feels like the most probable route to a Villa goal and on balance the home side's advantage at Villa Park edges this. Villa 2-1.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
