Graham Potter comments on Aston Villa and Birmingham City keep the fans guessing

Aston Villa travel to The Amex this weekend in search of their first win in seven Premier League games against a Brighton side managed by a reported candidate to become Dean Smith's successor earlier this season in Graham Potter.

Steven Gerrard was of course appointed as the club's head coach back in November, but his team have made a slow start to 2022 having only won one game since the start of last month.

Back-to-back defeats to Newcastle United and Watford have blotted Gerrard's first three months in charge of the club, but ahead of the clash against Brighton on Saturday, Villa will face a side also out of form.

The Seagulls have won only once in eight games in all competitions, while their 2-1 win over Brentford on Boxing Day was the only victory they have managed on home soil since the end of September.

Under Potter's stewardship, Brighton have consolidated their place in the Premier League and this season will challenge Villa to finish in the top half come May.

Villa beat Brighton in the reverse fixture back in November, as Gerrard got off to a perfect start as the new manager, winning the game 2-0 at Villa Park thanks to late goals from Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings.

Potter's Brighton have only beaten Villa once in six games and prior to their 2-1 victory in January 2020, the Solihull-born manager, who started his playing career at Birmingham City, put on record where he allegiances lie.

He said: "Most of my friends are Villa fans. So they're not my friends at the moment – at least for this weekend.

"The first team I actually started to get interested in was the Aston Villa side that won the European Cup.

"Most supporters will tell you, 'hang on, you can't be Birmingham and Aston Villa, you've got to be one