Ollie Watkins is set to make his first return to Brentford on Saturday while in some of the best form of his career.
The ex-Bee, who missed Aston Villa’s visit last season, has enjoyed a huge upturn in form since the appointment of Unai Emery as head coach and since the World Cup has scored 12 Premier League goals, including five in his last four games. He had only found the net twice before the break, with one of those coming against us in October.
Watkins’s form has helped Villa rocket up the table into sixth place at the start of the weekend. In their last eight games, they have drawn once and won seven times, including all of their last five – their best top-flight run since 1989/90.
When Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in October, Villa were 14th in the table, only three points above the relegation zone. But he has completely turned round their form and after last Saturday’s 3-0 win over Newcastle, some pundits wondered if they could finish in the top four at the end of the season. Villa have scored in all of Emery’s 20 games in charge, 18 of which have been in the Premier League and have also hit the first goal in each of their last nine matches.
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This is Villa’s fourth season back in the Premier League, after winning promotion via the play-offs in 2019. They have finished in the bottom half of the table in each of the previous three, including an 11th-place finish two years ago, which was their best in the top flight since 2010/11...