Aston Villa face West Ham Utd in the Premier League on Sunday evening, and here’s how Unai Emery’s starting line-up looks.
With the international break finally concluded, Villa will be looking to continue to build on a positive start to the league campaign, but it promises to be a difficult encounter with the Hammers.
READ MORE: Touted timeline as to when Villa expect Zaniolo investigation to conclude
Both Alex Moreno and Jacob Ramsey were ruled out by Emery in his pre-match press conference on Friday, but it was hoped that the rest of the squad would be available for selection.
Villa confirmed in a statement in midweek that Nicolò Zaniolo is at Emery’s disposal amid an ongoing investigation into alleged betting activity, but it remained to be seen whether or not the Italian international would be given the nod to start.
That was one of several question marks in relation to our starting XI as tactical decisions also had a part to play, but as seen in the confirmed Villa line-up below, Zaniolo has indeed been recalled to the line-up, with Emery evidently happy with what he’s seen from him in training during the week.
Diego Carlos is the man to make way as Matty Cash drops back into the right-back role, with John McGinn switched across to the right, and Zaniolo taking his usual spot on the left side.
Emiliano Martinez continues between the posts with Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Lucas Digne completing the backline, while Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara form the heart of the midfield. Up top, it’s the usual duo of Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby.
There is no Jhon Duran on the bench for this one though and so it remains to be seen if he’s picked up a knock while on international duty or perhaps wasn’t considered to be fit enough to make the squad, but it’s a strong group ready to come on if needed and so time will tell if they’re required or not.
Introducing your Aston Villa team! 👊 pic.twitter.com/EcjG3GhkPH
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 22, 2023
