Evan Ferguson returns for Brighton after recent illness

Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson has recovered from illness and is available as Brighton look to continue their impressive start to the Premier League season at Aston Villa.

The 18-year-old is the club's top scorer with four league goals in half a dozen outings, but was substituted at half-time inn last weekend’s win over Bournemouth and was not part of the squad that lost to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup midweek.

Ferguson, who missed both of the Republic’s recent World Cup qualifiers with a knee injury, is back with manager Roberto De Zerbi insisting that the striker had fully recovered from a recent illness.

Brighton have taken 15 points from their opening five games to stand third in the table.

De Zerbi has several injury headaches ahead of Saturday's trip to Villa Park, with Adam Lallana, James Milner and Pascal Gross all ruled out and skipper Lewis Dunk among those to miss the cup defeat at Chelsea on Wednesday.

"In this moment I don't want to take risks and lose the player," said De Zerbi. "You can see without Dunk, Gross, Milner it's a problem.

"It is difficult to substitute Lewis, he is very important to us.

"Pascal Gross in midfield gives more personality and more courage, he can be important in the build-up but is one of the best to score goals.

"Lallana has not a big injury, but for this game he can not play."

The two clubs' previous meeting was on the final day of last season when Aston Villa's 2-1 success saw them finish one position and one point below sixth-placed Brighton.

De Zerbi said: "We had already reached our target (European football).

"It was important, but not crucial in terms of target. It was not the best first XI we could choose.

"I remember very well the intensity and the difficult level of the