Steven Gerrard sends classy message to Brighton and Graham Potter ahead of Aston Villa's visit

The Seagulls sit ninth in the table and are on course for their highest points total and league finish in English football's top-flight.

READ THIS: Graham Potter's 'surprised' response to Steven Gerrard and his provocative Yves Bissouma transfer claim.

Villa, meanwhile, have dropped to 13th after a bright start to Gerrard's reign.

The Liverpool hero was victorious in his first game in charge back in November, recording a 2-0 win over Brighton at a raucous Villa Park.

READ THIS: Graham Potter and Brighton confirms dreaded double injury blow ahead of Aston Villa clash.

Following the victory over Albion, Villa secured three points against Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Norwich City, and produced battling displays in defeats to titans Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

But results, and performances, under Gerrard have taken a downturn in recent weeks.

READ THIS: Lee Bowyer reveals all on Brighton loanee's 'crazy' injury saga at Birmingham City.

The Midlands outfit have picked up just five points from a possible 15 and have suffered defeat in their last two Premier League outings.

Ahead of Saturday's clash, Gerrard was full of praise for the Seagulls and said a win at Brighton would 'change the mood' at Villa Park.

He said: "They have had a terrific season, they have fantastic players and they are coached extremely well.

"A good strong win against Brighton changes the mood. It changes the noise outside.

"If we win we move to the middle of the table. This team hasn’t finished above tenth in the Premier League in the last ten years. That’s still possible so for me its about remaining positive.

"I’ve got a lot of trust and belief in my players and we have identified the areas we need to improve and improve fast and that’s what we have been working on."

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