Aston Villa face Tottenham on Wednesday evening and Dean Smith has some key decisions to make with regards to Tyrone Mings and Jack Grealish.
As per the Villa boss from his press conference on Tuesday, both Matty Cash and Morgan Sanson have been ruled out of our remaining two Premier League games and so will play no part this week.
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They join Trezeguet on the sidelines, while there could be more positive news on Mings and Grealish with both training and in contention to start.
Mings missed the defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday after suffering a knock in the draw with Everton, while Grealish saw a slight increase in his minutes last time out as he came off the bench on the 64-minute mark at Selhurst Park as he continues to push for a starting berth.
Spurs in midweek could come too soon for that in truth as it’s a big jump from around 30 minutes to a full 90, but it would certainly be a major boost if our skipper was back in the XI, as it would be if Mings is passed fit to feature.
Ahmed Elmohamady will likely continue to deputise for Cash at right-back, while Emiliano Martinez, Ezri Konsa and Matt Targett will make up the rest of the backline.
Jacob Ramsey, Douglas Luiz and John McGinn could form our midfield trio once again, although Marvelous Nakamba could perhaps be in contention to offer us a bit more solidity and presence in the middle of the pitch.
Should Grealish not get the green light to start, Anwar El Ghazi will be expected to continue on the left flank with Bertrand Traore on the opposite side, and the line will no doubt be led by Ollie Watkins who was impressive on his return from suspension at the weekend.
With the FA Youth Cup Final on Monday, it seems unlikely that Smith will give extended minutes to any of our youngsters and so disappointingly it feels as though that opportunity has gone to have a closer look at the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka.
In turn, it’s expected to be a relatively familiar XI from Villa on Wednesday, and the same is likely on Sunday should everyone come through without any setbacks.
Villa’s recent form against Tottenham has been poor as we’ve lost six on the bounce against them in all competitions, while they’ve scored at least two goals in each of those wins. While the hosts have more to play for, it’s hoped that Villa turn up and play at the level we’re capable at and that in turn will give us a big chance of coming away with a positive result.
