Aston Villa go to the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon as Europa League holders and Champions League qualifiers, and without Ezri Konsa. He joined Arsenal on Friday on a four-year contract with the option of a further 12 months, for a fixed fee of £51m and a potential £4m in add-ons, and he follows Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne out of Unai Emery's squad this summer.
Brighton have been playing already. They drew 0-0 at Tromso on Thursday night in the first leg of a Conference League play-off, creating chances without beating the goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard, and Isak Vadebu might have won it late for the Norwegians. Ibrahim Osman, making his Brighton debut after three loan spells away, was the liveliest of them; Luka Vuskovic started in defence. "We created opportunities, but in the end we have to be satisfied with a draw, although it's not the result we hoped for," Fabian Hurzeler said afterwards. The second leg is at the Amex next week.
That Thursday-to-Sunday rhythm is what Brighton were celebrating on the final day in May, when qualification for Europe was secured even as they lost 3-0 at home to Manchester United. Keeping hold of it has cost them last season's outstanding forward and its best defender. Danny Welbeck, who scored 13 league goals, has gone to Chelsea, and Jan Paul van Hecke to Tottenham for £52m, with Vuskovic arriving in the opposite direction for a club-record £46m. Pascal Struijk came from Leeds, Costinha from Olympiakos, Zadok Yohanna from AIK and Michael Svoboda from Venezia. James Milner retired and Solly March was not offered a new contract.
The vacancy at centre-forward may fall to Charalampos Kostoulas, 19, who started two league games last season. Mitoma (hamstring) and O'Riley (illness) are doubts, Tzimas (knee) and Ferguson (ankle) are not expected back until September and Yankuba Minteh (calf) not until October. Carlos Baleba was left out in Norway with an ankle problem.