"They have regressed a bit" - Mark Lawrenson makes Brighton & Hove Albion prediction ahead of Aston Villa clash

Brighton & Hove Albion will return to Premier League action this weekend as they face Aston Villa in Steven Gerrard’s first game in charge.

The Seagulls have struggled to find a win in recent weeks and, while fans were delighted with their comeback against Liverpool, it was one of five draws in their last six league matches.

Despite a slight slump in form they still find themselves seventh in the table – nine places higher than this time last season.

Ahead of this weekend’s round of fixtures, Mark Lawrenson has made his prediction for Brighton’s clash with Aston Villa in his weekly piece for BBC Sport.

The former Liverpool defender has tipped Gerrard’s side to come out on top tomorrow with a 2-0 win for the home team.

Lawrenson said: "Brighton have turned into the draw specialists, with five of them in their past six league games.

“At the start of the season the Seagulls were making the most of their chances and winning games, but they have stopped taking those opportunities now and are not beating teams.

“In that regard, they have regressed a bit to the way they were last season, when they did not score enough goals.

“That's one of the reasons I can see Villa winning this one. Gerrard will have made a difference in training already and I think we will see a response from their players here.”

This week Lawrenson was up against singer-songwriter and Everton fan Zuzu.

Zuzu – whose new album Queensway Tunnel was released last week – has disagreed with Lawro and has predicted Brighton to pick up their first win since September.

Elsewhere, Lawrenson expects Newcastle United to claim their first victory of the campaign and he has tipped Liverpool to end Arsenal’s unbeaten run.