Aston Villa take on Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday, and here’s how Unai Emery’s starting XI looks for the encounter.
Villa will be looking to extend our six-game unbeaten run in the league by making it three wins in a row, as we hope to solidify our spot in fifth place in the standings and perhaps climb higher.
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As always, Emery would have meticulously analysed the opposition and adjusted his starting line-up where he felt necessary to give us the best possible chance of prevailing, and so there was a wait to see if the Villa boss opted to make any changes for this one.
We have seen a consistent Villa XI for the most part in the Premier League, but the Spanish tactician has gone with three centre-halves in his side on the road a few times already this season, and so that was one of the key tactical decisions that was set to be revealed.
Further, Alex Moreno returned to group training this week as he closes in on a return from his spell on the sidelines due to injury, and the hope was that he would make the bench for this one to give us depth at left-back if needed.
The Spaniard has indeed been named on the bench in an important boost, and so it remains to be seen if he is able to get any minutes on Sunday as he looks to build up his match fitness and sharpness.
There is no Jhon Duran available though, with the 19-year-old seemingly missing out as he continues to recover from a toe injury that ruled him out last week too.
In terms of the starting Villa XI, it’s an unchanged side for the third consecutive league outing, with a back four consisting of Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Lucas Digne ahead of Emiliano Martinez.
John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Boubacar Kamara and Nicolo Zaniolo form our midfield, while Moussa Diaby will support Ollie Watkins in the final third, as a strong Villa XI looks to maintain our impressive start to the campaign at the City Ground.
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