Aston Villa host Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon as we look for a sixth win in our last seven Premier League games.
Our superb run in recent weeks has put us in a strong position to secure a top-half finish this season – and perhaps something more – but Unai Emery will no doubt be guarding against complacency this weekend.
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With our opposition battling relegation and in desperate need of points, this will be a difficult challenge for us, and so we’ll have to maintain our high level of performance and be at our best to secure another important win.
Speaking on Friday in his pre-match press conference, Emery confirmed that Matty Cash, Boubacar Kamara and Philippe Coutinho remain sidelined by injury and so that Villa trio miss out, but it’s another strong XI named by the boss as he looks to try and keep a winning side in place by naming an unchanged line-up.
Emiliano Martinez, Ashley Young, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Alex Moreno form the backline, while Leon Bailey, John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey start in midfield.
Further up the field, Emiliano Buendia will provide support for Ollie Watkins again, while midweek goalscoring hero Bertrand Traore starts on the bench hoping to make another crucial impact if called upon.
It’s an important boost for Villa to have consistency in a winning side and not be forced to make too many changes, and although we’re still missing key individuals due to injury, it’s hoped that those available this weekend can get the job done and keep us moving in the direction.
With the likes of Jhon Duran, Calum Chambers, Leander Dendoncker and Lucas Digne on the bench too, we have options to freshen things up if needed, while it’s hoped that we may well see Diego Carlos get much-needed minutes, although that will largely depend on the state of the game in the latter stages.
This is your Aston Villa team to face Nottingham Forest. 👊 #AVLNFO pic.twitter.com/irvGxDJTKp
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 8, 2023