Aston Villa face Crystal Palace in the round of 16 of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, and Unai Emery has named his starting line-up.
The Villa boss has made no secret that one of his main objectives when taking the job was to deliver a trophy, and that’s reflected in his starting XI in midweek as we look to reach the quarter-finals.
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The big news though is that Tyrone Mings is back in the Villa side after over a year out following a serious knee injury, and it’s such a huge boost to have the commanding centre-half back in the fold.
It’s hoped that he firstly comes through unscathed, but it’s a big test for him coming back into the side as he’ll look to get back to peak fitness and form in the coming weeks.
There’s also great news in midfield as Boubacar Kamara also gets the nod to start, while Emiliano Buendia continues to get valuable minutes in this competition with the influential trio all making their respective comebacks from serious injuries.
Unai Emery has opted to rotate too though with Joe Gauci coming in to start between the posts, while Kosta Nedeljkovic and Ian Maatsen take up the full-back positions with Diego Carlos partnering Mings in the middle.
John McGinn is likely to partner Kamara in the deeper midfield pivot with Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana getting the night off, while Leon Bailey, Buendia and Jaden Philogene will provide support behind Jhon Duran in the final third.
It’s an exciting Villa line-up that has the quality and experience to hopefully book our spot in the next round with minimal fuss, but Palace will also go with a strong side and look to produce a shock.
While our full focus will be on getting through, it’s already a great night seeing key players return, and hopefully they’ll be heavily involved now as the campaign progresses.
Here’s how we line-up for tonight’s @Carabao_Cup clash against Crystal Palace 📋 pic.twitter.com/Uik32fcrvO
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 30, 2024