Aston Villa face Everton in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, and Unai Emery has named his starting line-up.
Villa bounced back with an important win at Chelsea on Sunday, and with ambitions and a desire to compete for silverware this season, the EFL Cup is undoubtedly a key objective.
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In turn, while Emery had been expected to make changes, a strong Villa starting XI was still likely, but after falling short in Europe last week in a similar situation, the right balance is needed in midweek this time round.
It’s a difficult task for the Villa boss as he has to weigh up resting key individuals as we prepare to face Brighton on Saturday, while also going with a side capable of securing safe passage to the next round and giving his squad players a chance to impress.
As seen in the starting line-up below, Emery has gone with a strong XI, but there are indeed multiple changes from the side that started at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
There are five in total, with Leander Dendoncker coming in for his first start of the season, with the Belgian international perhaps set to line up in our defence having played their at times previously in his career, slotting in between Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres, with Matty Cash given licence to push forward.
Robin Olsen starts in goal while Youri Tielemans and Leon Bailey get the nod in midfield, and it’s Jhon Duran who will lead the line with Moussa Diaby providing support behind him.
Importantly, there’s good news on the bench as both Diego Carlos and Bertrand Traore have seemingly recovered from their respective injuries to return to the matchday squad, and it’s hoped that perhaps we’ll be in a strong position to give them minutes in the latter stages.
Nevertheless, the Villa starting XI shows our intent to advance in the competition, and so it now remains to be seen if we can book our place in the next round with minimal fuss, as Everton will still be a difficult assignment.
Your Aston Villa team tonight! 👊 pic.twitter.com/mSh0wdqV5U
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 27, 2023