Aston Villa face West Ham Utd in the FA Cup on Friday night, and Unai Emery has named his starting line-up for the clash.
Villa have struggled in recent times to put together a significant cup run, and so all concerned will be desperate to change that this year, starting with our third-round tie against the Hammers.
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It’s also a big night as we celebrate our 150th club anniversary, and so hopefully Emery and the players are able to secure our passage to the next round to make it a memorable occasion for all the right reasons.
John McGinn, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres and Jhon Duran were all ruled out due to injury and in the case of the Colombian striker, suspension, but despite those absentees, Emery was expected to name a strong starting line-up for the game with a few changes from the side that defeated Leicester City last time out.
As per the club’s post below, Villa make three changes from last weekend, with Robin Olsen, Ian Maatsen and Morgan Rogers coming in for Emiliano Martinez, Lucas Digne and John McGinn respectively.
Emiliano Martinez hasn’t been named in the matchday squad due to a small injury, but it is believed to be more precautionary than anything else as we face a busy month.
It’s still a strong Villa line-up with quality options on the bench if needed, and so on a bitterly cold night at Villa Park, it’s hoped that we’re able to secure safe passage through to the next round and keep our hopes of winning the FA Cup alive against a West Ham side now led by Graham Potter.
Your Aston Villa starting XI for tonight’s FA Cup third-round tie 👊 #AVLWHU pic.twitter.com/8kFTmhlNRy
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 10, 2025
