Brighton vs Aston Villa
England League Championship
Date: Friday, 18th November 2016,
Kick-Off: 19:45 UK
Venue: Falmer Stadium (Brighton).
French midfielder Anthony Knockaert missed the 2-0 win over Bristol City prior to the international break following the death of his father, but will be back for the visit of Villa, who are unbeaten in five.
Forward Richie Towell and winger Kazenga LuaLua are on the mend after knee problems and played for the under-23s in the Checkatrade Trophy win over Leyton Orient last week.
Midfielder Beram Kayal is still on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
Jordan Amavi and Leandro Bacuna are available for Aston Villa after overcoming knocks.
Midfielder Mile Jedinak will be assessed by the club after returning from international duty with Australia in Thailand.
Micah Richards remains a doubt with a calf problem and Ritchie de Laet is out for the season with a knee injury.
Jordan Ayew returns from suspension and is likely to be handed an instant recall by boss Steve Bruce but Ross McCormack is banned.
Match stats
The visitors have won three of their last four league games - prior to this run they had won one of their previous 25 league games either side of the summer break.
Brighton could achieve their highest-ever points total after their first 17 games in the top two divisions with a win
Brighton possess the best defence in the Sky Bet EFL, conceding just nine goals in their 16 Championship games. They also have four more clean sheets than any other side in the top four divisions with 11 in their 16 games.
Head To Head
The only recent meeting was a 2010 FA Cup tie at Villa Park which the hosts won 3-2. They haven't met in the league since the 1982-83 season when Brighton were last in the top flight.
Brighton vs Aston Villa Stats
Villa have won just 1 of their last 29 competitive away games. They average just 0.63 goals per game on the road in the league this season. Brighton have won 75% of their Championship home games this term to nil.
Brighton Team News
Winger Anthony Knockaert returns having missed the last game due to the death of his father. Jiri Skalak and Jamie Murphy will fight it out for the slot on the opposite flank with no other changes expected from Brighton.
Aston Villa Team News
Ross McCormack is suspended but Jordan Ayew returns from a ban and could start. Midfielder Mile Jedinak and top scorer Jonathan Kodjia will be checked following busy international periods. Ashley Westwood may replace the Australian in the middle of the park. Jordan Amavi and Leandro Bacuna have been passed fit but Micah Richards looks set to miss out.
