Villa team news: David could be in squad, four to miss out

Main Club Sponsor

TICKETS

SHOP

Our new Premier League campaign begins on Sunday afternoon.

Charlie Hanson

2026-08-21T12:30+01:00

Promise David spent two years with Royale Union Saint-Gilloise before joining Albion on loan. 📸 by James Boardman.

Albion kick off their 2026-27 Premier League campaign at the Amex on Sunday when they take on Aston Villa.

Having drawn 0-0 with Tromso in the UEFA Conference League play-off first leg on Thursday, Fabian Hurzeler's squad face a quick turnaround.

Team news

Yankuba Minteh will miss Sunday's game at the Amex. 📸 by James Boardman.

Hurzeler is hopeful that new signing Promise David will be available after his arrival from Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise on a season-long loan.

Albion go into this one knowing they will be without Carlos Baleba, Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma and Stefanos Tzimas through injury.

There is the potential for a number of Premier League debuts though, with Luka Vuskovic, Amario Cozier-Duberry, Ibrahim Osman, Malick Yalcouye, Michael Svoboda, Joao Costinha and Pascal Struijk all vying for a place in Sunday's squad.

Villa have their own injury concerns to deal with. New signings Brian Madjo and Joao Gomes will miss the encounter, joining Amadou Onana, Leon Bailey and Johan Manzambi on the sidelines.

What the head coach said

Prior to facing Aston Villa this weekend, Fabian Hurzeler has spoken to the media.

Match stats

Brighton have lost 64% of their Premier League games against Aston Villa (9/14 – W2 D3). Of teams they have faced in more than one campaign, only against Manchester City have they lost a higher percentage of their games in the competition (67% - 12/18).

Aston Villa haven’t lost any of their four Premier League games against Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton (W3 D1). Indeed, Hürzeler’s points per game ratio against Unai Emery is his joint-lowest against an opposition manager in the competition (min. 2 games), along with former Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner (0.25).

Albion have dropped more points from winning positions against Aston Villa than they have vs any other side in the Premier League (13). Their record when leading against the Villans is W2 D2 L3.

Since losing 3-1 to Chelsea on MD1 in 2020-21, Brighton and Hove Albion are unbeaten in their opening game in five Premier League seasons (W4 D1). It’s their longest run without losing their opening league game since going 10 seasons in a row between 1969-70 and 1978-79.

Since returning to the Premier League in 2019-20, Aston Villa have started their season with a win just twice in seven attempts (D1 L4), beating Sheffield United in 2020-21 and West Ham in 2024-25.

Aston Villa have begun 13 of their last 14 Premier League campaigns by playing on a Saturday, with the exception coming in 2020-21 (vs Sheffield United on a Monday). This is the first time their opening game of a top-flight season has been on a Sunday since 2008-09, beating Manchester City 4-2 with Gabriel Agbonlahor scoring a hat-trick.

Albion lost their final two Premier League games of 2025-26, but haven’t lost three in a row in the competition since March 2022 under Graham Potter (a run of 6 – the third of which was at home to Aston Villa). Indeed, manager Fabian Hürzeler hasn’t suffered three consecutive league defeats since November 2018 with FC Pipinsried in the Regionalliga Bayern.

Aston Villa scored more goals from outside the box both overall (15) and as a percentage of their total (27%) than any other side in the Premier League this season. Indeed, the last team to net a higher share of their goals from distance in the division was Southampton in 2018-19 (29%).

Lewis Dunk could make his 300th Premier League appearance on Sunday. 📸 by James Boardman.

Lewis Dunk could be the first player to make 300 Premier League appearances for Brighton in this match. He’s started all nine of the Seagulls’ games on MD1 in the competition – he’s the only player to have started 100% of a team’s opening weekend games among sides having played in more than two seasons.

Against no side has Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins been involved in more Premier League goals than he has against Brighton (11 – 9 goals, 2 assists), with all of these coming in his last nine appearances against the Seagulls.

Match officials