Image source, BBC SportAston Villa XI: Bizot, Bogarde, Lindelof, Torres, Digne, Luiz, Onana, Rogers, Barkley, Bailey, Abraham
Subs: Martinez, Konsa, Mings, Watkins, Garcia, Buendia, Sancho, Maatsen, Kone
Newcastle XI: Ramsdale, Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Hall, Tonali, Ramsey, Murphy, Woltemade, Barnes, Osula,
Subs: Pope, Ruddy, Gordon, Elanga, Willock, A.Murphy, Shahar, Seung-soo, Neave
Image source, BBC Sport
There are seven ties in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.
Burton v West Ham (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Radio Derby
Burnley v Mansfield - BBC Radio Lancashire & BBC Radio Nottingham
Man City v Salford - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3 & BBC Radio Manchester
Norwich v West Brom - BBC Radio Norfolk & BBC Radio WM
Port Vale P-P Bristol City
Southampton v Leicester- BBC Radio Solent & BBC Radio Leicester
Aston Villa v Newcastle (17:45) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (with second half on BBC Radio 5 Live), BBC Radio WM & BBC Radio Newcastle
Liverpool v Brighton (20:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Merseyside & BBC Radio Sussex
Kick-offs 15:00 GMT unless stated
Follow all of the action and reaction here
You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Burton v West Ham" of "ask BBC Sounds to play Liverpool v Brighton", for instance.
Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds
How to follow the FA Cup fourth round on the BBC
I was delighted for Newcastle boss Eddie Howe that his team beat Tottenham and also the reception he got from his side's fans afterwards.
For everything he has done for them, the world must have gone bonkers for their fans to be calling up 606 and saying they wanted him out.
This will be a very different test to playing Spurs, however, and I am going with my gut feeling on this one.
The two sides met recently, when Villa won at St James' Park at the end of January and although Villa have slipped up a couple of times at home recently, when it clicks for them, they usually end up winning.
Sutton's prediction: 2-1
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup fourth round tie against Newcastle United at Villa Park (kick-off 17:45 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Emery praised his players for being "versatile" in operating in different positions to help the club through a spell of several injuries.
He explained the transfer window has at least offered him "different possibilities" despite the injuries.
Emery said: "Lamare Bogarde, for example, is a very good possibility and is getting good performance with us. He was here when I arrived here, in the academy, training with us. Now, how he is performing and playing as a right full-back - marking Kaoru Mitoma - and as a midfielder."
The Spaniard offered positive tones on the "consistency" of Amadou Onana and contribution of Ross Barkley, citing the work of such players as reason as to why Villa "have enough players".
On Douglas Luiz, Emery said: "He left from here one-and-a-half years ago. He didn't play a lot in Juventus and Nottingham Forest. Coming here, I said to him, 'you must recover, remember everything we are doing here, you were performing so, so good'. We are doing it. The three matches he played, the last one on Wednesday, he played a good match."
On 19-year-old winger Alysson, who joined the club in January from Brazilian side Gremio, Emery said: "He is a winger, left foot, plays normally in the right side. He has qualities or skills like a Leon Bailey. He has a huge potential. His adaptation has been progressing better but he needed time and he's still needing time to adapt to us and get his best performances."
Listen to Aston Villa v Newcastle on 5 Live Sports Extra here
Image source, Getty ImagesRecently, Liverpool and the Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk said former players-turned-pundits have a responsibility when discussing the performances of the current generation of footballers.
He believes they can stray into "clickbait" and have a possible impact on players' mental health.
On Thursday's episode of the More than the Score podcast, former Scotland international Pat Nevin and chief sports editor for Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf Marcel van der Kraan join John Bennett to discuss and analyse the modern world of punditry and the impact it can have on players and managers alike.
"As a player you do tend to take it to heart, especially when it feels a little personal," said Nevin.
"Generally, it isn't personal and the pundit is just having their opinion and we all kind of know where the lines are. But, the lines have been jumped over more often in recent years and I think Van Dijk is right about that.
"Because of the clickbait, it is so much easier to get more likes, views and work if you're a little bit more extreme. Ex-players aren't stupid and they know that. If you are too sensible and sit on the fence you won't get the big gigs.
"You have a dichotomy. Most ex-players would like to be balanced but they know if they are too balanced and sensible they won't be there next week.
"My criticism would always be constructive criticism which is explained. One-dimensional labeling of players should never happen. Sometimes if a big name says something enough it becomes accepted wisdom."
Van der Kraan added: "There are two different kinds of pundits; those who need to be on every week and those who are genuinely focused on what is right and what players should do.
"For Van Dijk, after so many years enough is enough.
"It all started after he came into the Netherlands team and became a big player at Liverpool. The first ex-player to really criticise him was Marco van Basten, saying he was not a leader. Van Dijk was biting his lip after every match because it became a bit of a stigma.
"Eventually it filtered to England and every time he had a bad game it became an open nerve."
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesCometh the hour, cometh the own goal.
It really doesn't matter that the game against Brighton was messy, or Aston Villa found it difficult to generate much momentum for long periods, or even - though it would have been appropriate - that Tyrone Mings, in a landmark 200th appearance for the club, does not have his name on the goal itself. Entertaining your paying spectators is important over time, but last night the result was everything.
"We needed to get three points," said Unai Emery. "The process to get three points is very important, and today it was competing more than playing and dominating a lot... Always we were trying to get something to win. Set-pieces was another way to try to get it, and we did it."
Mings has all the qualities demanded for this moment. Now in his seventh season with Villa, injuries and the gradual upgrading of the squad in recent years have seen him become less involved on the field, but his standing within the club overall is undiminished. In the absence of John McGinn in particular, his personal skills at tense times become especially important.
"All the time he's played [for Villa], he's always looked like a leader," said BBC Radio WM's Villa summariser Garry Thompson after Wednesday's game.
"He's made the odd mistake but he never lets it get to him... A proper leader, and he got the goal Villa needed. Horrible game, great result, move on."
The injuries to McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara have clearly put the squad under strain since the start of the year. After the extraordinary period before Christmas when Villa were in full flood, their recent performances have begun to meander, especially at home.
But Emery refuses to accept invitations to feel sorry on behalf of his team. Asked after Wednesday's victory whether those injuries were affecting Villa's ability to break through opponents, he adopted the strong, slow tone of a headmaster.
"Keep calm. Today, fantastic job Douglas Luiz. Today, fantastic job Onana, Ross Barkley adding minutes, Lindelof playing as well as a midfielder and helping us, and Lamare Bogarde" – special emphasis – "FAN-TAS-TIC when replacing today Cash. THIS is the new." So there.
"He's leaving them with no option for an excuse," says Thompson. "What we've got is good enough to compete in games, and if we compete in games we've got a chance of winning the game... We've lost two out of three players who would get into most Premier League sides and we've still had to find a way." They did, and for now, that's good enough.
Listen to full commentary of Aston Villa v Newcastle at 17:45 GMT on Saturday on BBC Radio WM
And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights
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We asked for your views after Aston Villa's Premier League win over Brighton.
Here are some of your comments:
Aston Villa fans
Sacha: Not pretty to watch and a lot of misplaced passes, however at the moment with the injuries we have and trying to get back to winning ways at home - three points was all that mattered and a bit of breathing room over the chasing pack!
Johnny: Without Tielemans, Kamara and McGinn - among the best central midfield pack in the division - we look pretty ordinary. Until they return we are just going to have to grind out results.
Paul: We won but not a pleasing performance. Martinez is an amazing shot stopper.
Martyn: Today's performance is another reality check - the fact is our squad just isn't good enough to maintain our lofty position and the big boys are about to take over the top spots. Fifth place is now a realistic target which might be vital to retain the services of Mr Emery.
Brighton fans
David: Every time Brighton make a late substitution the opposition seem to nick the points. Were the substitutions really necessary?
Malcolm: A much better performance by most of the players but still tactically inept and in serious need of a striker who knows where the net is. Serious danger of relegation and need a change in coaching staff now, not at the end of the season. Bring back Roberto de Zerbi.
Joe: A step in the right direction. The recent run of one win in 13 has been awful. A lot of the questions being asked about Hurzeler are valid but this was a performance that inspires some hope he might be able to turn it around. Overall, I felt we were unlucky to come away from the game with nothing.
Oliver: I don't want us to become a team that sacks their manager at the first dry period. I like the team and we're losing/drawing by fine margins. I can still see us finishing top 10.
Image source, Getty ImagesIt was 10 November 2002 when 16-year-old James Milner made his first Premier League appearance for Leeds United.
Milner came off the bench to replace Jason Wilcox in a 4-3 win at West Ham.
What else was going on in the world in November 2002?
Number one singles in the UK around that time included "Heaven" by DJ Sammy and Yanou featuring Do and "Unbreakable" by Westlife.
On television, ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals was approaching its conclusion (whatever happened to One True Voice?) while series two of The Office had just ended - would a tearful David Brent avoid being made redundant from his job at Wernham Hogg?
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and "Die Another Day" were released in UK cinemas.
Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford was a month old, while former US Open tennis champion Emma Raducanu was born three days after Milner's senior debut.
James Milner now holds the all-time record for the most Premier League appearances.
The former England international, 40, made his 654th Premier League outing in Wednesday's defeat at former club Aston Villa - which took him past the previous mark set by Gareth Barry.
Milner made his debut for Leeds in November 2002 as a 16-year-old and became the Premier League's youngest-ever goalscorer before the end of that year.
He featured regularly at first-team level from then on, but his time at Elland Road came to an end when Leeds, in deep financial trouble at the time, were relegated from the top flight in 2004.
Image source, Getty ImagesMilner was contracted to Newcastle for four years, although he spent the 2005-06 campaign on loan at Aston Villa and nearly joined them full-time in the summer of 2006.
That move to Villa Park would eventually happen in 2008.
Image source, Getty ImagesMilner was a key part of a Villa side that narrowly missed out on silverware and Champions League qualification under Martin O'Neill.
He scored the opening goal in Villa's 2010 League Cup final loss to Manchester United.
Image source, Getty ImagesMilner moved to Manchester City in the early weeks of the 2010-11 season and won numerous honours during his five seasons with the club, including two Premier League titles and one FA Cup.
Image source, Getty ImagesMilner swapped City for Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer of 2015 and spent eight seasons with the Reds.
While at Anfield, he won all three major domestic trophies and the Champions League in 2019.
Milner played more Premier League games for Liverpool (230) than any of the other top-flight clubs he has represented.
Image source, Getty ImagesMilner has been with Brighton since 2023, appearing in the Seagulls' first-ever European campaign in 2023-24.
He recently joined a select band of outfield players to have made a Premier League appearance after their 40th birthday and is more than seven years older than his current boss Fabian Hurzeler.
Image source, Getty ImagesNick Mashiter
Football reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa found a way to win. It was not pretty and it was probably not deserved, but they pinched three precious points against Brighton.
A composed and controlled 2-0 win at Newcastle last month was arguably their best display of the campaign, coming after losing Boubacar Kamara for the season and seeing Youri Tielemans limp off at St James' Park.
Since then they have recovered from 2-0 down to beat Red Bull Salzburg in the Europa League - a collapse from the Austrians rather than a rousing comeback - lost to 10-man Brentford and drawn at Bournemouth.
The level of performance from Emery's side has noticeably dropped - understandable given injuries to key players- but they have still got the job done.
Villa were poor, sloppy and lacked inspiration from the usual sources of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins on Wednesday - but few would ever back against them digging out a win from virtually nothing.
In the race for the Champions League places, this victory was much needed, and supporters will not be debating the performance levels of mid-February in the summer if Villa return to Europe's elite next season.
They needed a win after recent results - having lost their previous two home league games - and they got it. Just.
Aston Villa are interested in Nottingham Forest's England midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, but Forest could command a fee of £65m for the 26-year-old. (TeamTalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Somers to bring you the action and talking points from Tuesday's and Wednesday's Premier League fixtures.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "Very important. We needed to win and compete and respect them like we did.
"The match was tight and for 90 minutes equal in some ways but I think we created the most chances and more times we got into their box.
"We much recovered energy confidence and after we lost our last two matches in the Premier League we needed this victory.
"We now need to put this competition to the back of our minds until we play again in ten days against Leeds. Now we try to focus on the FA Cup on Saturday."
Did you know?
Aston Villa have won nine of their 14 Premier League games against Brighton (D3 L2), and since their return to the top-flight in 2019 boast their joint-most wins versus the Seagulls (also 9 vs Everton).
Villa have scored eight goals from corners in the Premier League this season with only Arsenal (14), Tottenham (13) and Chelsea (9) netting more.
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Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.
Have your say on Aston Villa's performance
What did you make of Brighton's display?
Come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies
Matty Cash misses out with a knee injury as Unai Emery makes two changes for Aston Villa.
Lamare Bogarde comes in at right back for Cash while Ian Maatsen also starts at left-back as Lucas Digne drops to the bench.
Ollie Watkins starts ahead of Tammy Abraham, who is on the bench, while Harvey Elliott is again left out but winger Alysson is in the squad for the first time since arriving from Gremio.
Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Bogarde, Mings, Konsa, Maatsen, Onana, Luiz, Sancho, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins
Subs: Bizot, Wright, Lindelof, Digne, Torres, Barkley, Bailey, Abraham, Alysson
Image source, Premier LeagueBrighton boss Fabian Hurzeler makes five changes from the 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
The Seagulls have won just once in the last 12 Premier League games so Joel Veltman, Jan Paul Van Hecke, Diego Gomez and Jack Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck all come in.
James Milner is on the bench waiting to equal the Premier League appearance record at one of his former clubs.
Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu, Baleba, Hinshelwood, Gomez, Gross, Mitoma, Welbeck
Subs: Steele, Georginio, Minteh, Kostoulas, Milner, Boscagli, De Cuyper. O'Riley, Howell
There are five games in the Premier League on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.
Aston Villa v Brighton
Crystal Palace v Burnley
Man City v Fulham
Nottingham Forest v Wolves
Sunderland v Liverpool (20:15)
Kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated
Follow all of the action and reaction here
And listen to Around The Grounds on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds from 19:00
Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds
Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist
Champions League-chasing Aston Villa seek to put their indifferent form behind them on Wednesday at the expense of an out-of-sorts Brighton side who have lost seven of the past nine league meetings.
Villa have won just two of their seven most recent midweek Premier League games, though both victories came against Brighton – including by a 4-3 scoreline in December.
Squeaky Brum time
Villa had an eight-point cushion in third place after 20 games, and were 11 clear of fifth. After Tuesday night's results, they are now two points clear of fourth-placed Manchester United, with Chelsea a further point behind.
It's just one win, three goals and five points from as many league games for Unai Emery's side, who are in danger of becoming the first English top-flight team to lose three successive home matches after winning the previous eight.
Following Saturday's hard-fought draw at Bournemouth, Emery told the media: "Two months ago you were saying we are contenders to win the Premier League. Now, two months on, everything I told you two months ago makes sense. Why? Because the Premier League is a very difficult league."
In truth, the vast majority of Villa supporters never truly believed their side were title contenders this season. Their concern now is whether the team can overcome the destabilising effect of key midfield injuries and find a way to remain firmly in the hunt for Champions League qualification and trophy success via the Europa League or FA Cup.
Comfort can be found in the fact Villa are four wins and nine points better off than at this stage last season, when only goal difference kept them out of the Champions League. They're a mere two points down on the 2023-24 campaign, in which they finished fourth.
Rogers rivalling best young attacking players in Europe
Morgan Rogers has overcome a poor start to the season to become Villa's trump card this season. While Ollie Watkins and Villa's summer attacking reinforcements struggle to provide an end product, Rogers has already equalled last season's tally of eight league goals.
He is also one of only five players still under the age of 24 in Europe's top five leagues to have managed a minimum 20 goals and 20 assists since the start of last season.
Brighton rocked
While Aston Villa are experiencing a wobble, Brighton are suffering a crisis of confidence. Albion were booed off following Sunday's home defeat by Crystal Palace, with some fans calling for head coach Fabian Hurzeler to be sacked.
Brighton, who were restricted to a season's low of 13 touches in the opposition penalty area against Palace, have only beaten Burnley in their past 12 top-flight fixtures.
"We have a loss of self-confidence, and how you get the self-confidence back is only by getting the right results," said Hurzeler, who could give James Milner a Premier League record-equalling 653rd appearance.
Albion have taken just two points from their past five away matches and won three of their 26 Premier League games played on a Wednesday; that 11.5% win rate is the lowest among current sides in the division.
Their loss of form can be traced back to the reverse fixture against Aston Villa on 3 December. Brighton led 2-0 and would have gone third in the table, above Villa, had they won – only to lose 4-3. Their record since then is the third worst in the division.
Brighton have only won one of their past 12 league games so the worry for them has to be that they will get sucked into the relegation scrap.
It was a 4-3 home defeat by Aston Villa in December that was the start of this poor run for Fabian Hurzeler's side, and I don't see it ending at Villa Park.
I'm surprised that the Seagulls are struggling. I looked at their bench against Crystal Palace at the weekend and thought 'blimey, they've got a good squad' - but they are underperforming and the fans seem really split on Hurzeler, and have been for a while.
Villa were lucky to get a point against Bournemouth at the weekend and I couldn't believe how Lucas Digne just let Rayan run past him for the Cherries equaliser. He seemed to give up and it was astonishingly bad defending.
Unai Emery's side have lost their past two home league games, against Everton and Brentford, which worries me.
Will it be a hat-trick of home defeats, or will they come good again? I've got to back my old team, so I am going with my heart here and saying Morgan Rogers will make the difference.
Sutton's prediction: 3-1
Aston Villa view England midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White as an excellent fit, with the 26-year-old potentially leaving Nottingham Forest this summer. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Flora Snelson
BBC Sport journalist
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game against Brighton & Hove Albion at Villa Park (kick-off 19:30 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Ross Barkley is available to play against Brighton
On how he rates Villa's chances of qualifying for the Champions League: "We are not thinking about the end of the season, we are thinking about now. There are ups and downs, but more ups than downs."
Emery thinks that Brighton are not getting the points they deserve: "Watching how they play, I like it a lot. They are consistent in style, it's a team playing good football with combinations, intensity and a good press."
On Jadon Sancho: "The first part of his season he was not achieving the level that we needed. He's getting better. We believe in him. He's getting better and he deserves to play more minutes."
On Fabian Hurzeler: "He has a huge future as a coach. I respect him a lot and I really like how they're playing."
Follow all of Tuesday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
David Michael
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa and statistics have never really correlated this season, and that's without even getting onto the subject of xG.
At the start of the season, Opta rated Villa's opening six Premier League fixtures as the easiest in the division. On paper, it looked ideal. Villa needed to get out of the blocks quickly, to build points before European commitments began and a punishing Christmas schedule took hold.
The reality was starkly different. After five league matches, Villa were winless and sat in the relegation zone, finally recording their first win only at the sixth attempt.
At that stage, Villa were nowhere near the Champions League qualification conversation.
That rhetoric arrived later. Villa embarked on an extraordinary 11-game winning run, brushing aside all comers in the build-up to Christmas and even triggering talk of them being in the title race.
Throughout it all, Unai Emery consistently poured cold water on any title talk. At the peak of the run, he was unequivocal: "To speak about the title does not make sense for us. Now in December it does not make sense."
A month later, following Villa's first home defeat, after 11 straight wins at Villa Park, against Everton, Emery went further still, even casting doubt on Champions League qualification: "We are not contenders to be in the top five. We are still not being contenders.
"There are other teams with more potential than us."
The Opta supercomputer disagrees. It currently gives Villa a 95.9% chance of finishing in the top five, a figure that appears to ignore changing on-pitch reality. Villa's points buffer is steadily eroding, with Manchester United now just three points behind Villa in third.
The reality aligns far more closely with Emery's caution than Opta's confidence. Villa's engine room has been ripped out. The captain, John McGinn, is injured, alongside two of the side's most influential players, Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara.
As Villa hinted away at Bournemouth, the resolve still exists within the team that formed the backbone of their early-season success. Patched up by the January transfer window, Emery's side look ready for the unpredictable battle ahead, one that Opta will certainly have little insight into.
Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external
