Mark Lawrenson reveals Brighton scoreline prediction ahead of Aston Villa clash

Brighton & Hove Albion are back in Premier League action this weekend, when they take on Dean Smith's Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.
(Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)(Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Writing in his weekly predictions column for BBC Sport, pundit Mark Lawrenson backed a 1-1 draw.

Justifying his prediction, the ex-Liverpool defender claimed: "I really like the way Jack Grealish and Ross Barkley link up for Aston Villa and Ollie Watkins is doing well in his first season in the Premier League.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"When everything clicks, Villa look very good. They completely outplayed Arsenal at the start of this month and had that extraordinary win over Liverpool in October. But they have also lost at home to Leeds and Southampton in the past couple of weeks, so it is not easy to predict what they will do next."

Lawro continued: "I am also not sure what to expect from Brighton. At the start of the season, in games against Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester United, they looked very dangerous going forward.

"That hasn't been the case recently against West Brom and Burnley, though. The Seagulls have drawn a lot of games in the past few weeks, and I think they could end up sharing the points again."

Meanwhile, Lawro's sparring partner for the week, Idles bassist Adam Devonshire, picked a 3-1 win for the Villains.

The last time the two sides met, back in January, the Seagulls threw away a 1-0 half-time lead and were held to a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium in a fiercely-fought contest.