Aston Villa take on West Ham Utd in the Premier League on Saturday evening, and Unai Emery has named his starting line-up for the encounter.
With a new season beginning, it’s hoped that Villa are able to get off to a positive start against the Hammers, but given the quality that they possess and with the added motivation of making a good start themselves under new boss Julen Lopetegui, it promises to be a difficult challenge.
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In turn, it was hoped that there would be positive news on the fitness front, with an anxious wait in particular to see if Ollie Watkins was fit enough to start.
As per the club’s official post below, there was a huge boost as our talismanic frontman was named in the Villa XI, and so it’s hoped that despite his lack of playing time over pre-season, he’s fit and sharp enough to make an important, and potentially decisive, impact for us in the final third.
Meanwhile, summer signing Amadou Onana starts in midfield alongside compatriot Youri Tielemans, and that midfield pivot will hopefully be fundamental in helping us control the game and getting a foothold early on.
Elsewhere, it’s a familiar looking backline with Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Ezri Konsa and Matty Cash in front of Emiliano Martinez, while John McGinn, Leon Bailey and Morgan Rogers will be tasked with supporting Watkins and providing a threat in the attacking phase.
One of the other stand-out points from the squad named by Emery, is that Villa have a much stronger bench at his disposal now, with multiple options available who are capable of impacting and influencing the game if needed, and that’s without two of our other summer signings in Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior included in the group.
There’s no Alex Moreno either amid speculation over his future at the club, but the focus for now is fully on Villa’s opening game of the season, and it’s hoped that this line-up, coupled with the bench options, can make it a winning start to the campaign.
Your Aston Villa team to face West Ham. 💥#WHUAVL || #UpTheVilla pic.twitter.com/vTszSZFFcR
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 17, 2024