Sunday accumulator: Aston Villa backed to avoid Brighton defeat as Barcelona goals pick stands out

Arthur Wandji, a Cameroonian sports journalist and betting expert, has selected three matches for a Sunday accumulator on 23 August 2026, with Aston Villa tipped to take a positive result at Brighton, Barcelona expected to feature in a high-scoring game at Elche and Lille favoured in a low-scoring meeting with Angers.

Brighton & Hove Albion are hoping to extend their unbeaten record in opening league matches, which has stood since the 2020-21 season. That run consists of four wins and one draw. However, the club are also looking to recover from a difficult end to the previous campaign, while integrating new players following the departures of key figures including Jan Paul van Hecke and Danny Welbeck.

Aston Villa arrive on the south coast after an outstanding season crowned by success in the Europa League. Their preparations for this fixture have been complicated by the absence of several important players, but their recent record against Brighton still makes them the logical side to back for a positive result.

Brighton have won only two of their previous 14 Premier League meetings with Aston Villa. The visitors have also shown greater collective strength in this fixture, while Brighton have repeatedly struggled to turn promising positions into victories. The Seagulls have dropped 13 points after taking the lead in these encounters, further strengthening the case for Aston Villa to avoid defeat at Falmer Stadium.

Barcelona begin their pursuit of a third consecutive La Liga title with a potentially awkward trip to Elche. The hosts opened their season with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Deportivo La Coruna and will be encouraged by a run of 10 home matches without defeat.

The Catalan side remain overwhelming favourites for the championship despite the summer departures of major figures such as Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. Barcelona’s away form provides further reason for confidence: they have lost only one of their past 20 La Liga matches on the road.

The recommended selection for this contest is more than 2.5 goals. Barcelona have won their past 10 La Liga meetings with Elche and have consistently held the upper hand in attack. Although the visitors must develop new combinations in the forward line, Elche’s intention to challenge the reigning champions in front of their own supporters could produce an open and entertaining match.

Lille, meanwhile, start their Ligue 1 campaign after finishing third last season and will be determined to build on that achievement. Their away performances are a particular source of optimism, with the club having recorded six consecutive wins on their travels during the previous campaign. Lille also possess a strong record against Angers.

The hosts, known as SCO, begin the new season with doubts after ending the last one without a victory in nine successive matches. Their problems were especially clear in attack at home, where Angers scored only six league goals across the whole of the year.

The suggested bet for this match is for both teams not to score. Lille’s defensive reliability, combined with Angers’ persistent difficulty in finding the net, makes a home goal appear unlikely. Lille have also won the past four meetings between the clubs without conceding, pointing towards another tightly controlled match decided by the defensive discipline of the northern French side.

Odds may change.