Aston Villa face Everton in the Premier League on Saturday evening, and Unai Emery has named his starting line-up for the encounter.
Villa go in search of a third win in our opening four Premier League games of the season, and although the visitors have struggled thus far, they will arrive at Villa Park desperate for a much-needed positive result.
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Emery will also be keen to avoid any complacency as we prepare for the start of our Champions League campaign next week, and so full focus must be on getting three points this weekend to continue our positive start.
There was a boost on Friday as both Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins were given the green light to feature, but Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara remain sidelined along with Matty Cash.
Doubts remained over the involvement of Leon Bailey after he suffered a hamstring injury in our win at Leicester City prior to the international break, and so there were some big decisions for the Villa boss for this clash as changes were expected to his starting XI.
As seen in the club’s post below, there was good news as both Konsa and Watkins were named in the Villa line-up, while there was one change with Jacob Ramsey replacing Bailey.
The expectation is that John McGinn will switch to the right side as Ramsey starts on the left, and it’s hoped that it allows us to continue to play with the same cohesion, balance and fluidity that we’ve seen in the three games so far.
As has been the case in every outing so far this season, Villa have a strong bench to turn to if required, with the likes of Emiliano Buendia, Ross Barkley and Jhon Duran available to impact the game, while Emery will be hoping to be in a position to rest players in the closing stages if possible.
Nevertheless, it’s likely to be a tough assignment, and it’s hoped that Villa can produce a big performance and secure all three points.
👇 Your Aston Villa side to face Everton this afternoon. #AVLEVE || #UpTheVilla pic.twitter.com/H5EfcVR0qo
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 14, 2024
