Aston Villa face Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and Unai Emery has named his starting line-up for the clash.
Villa will be looking to bounce back after our defeat to Arsenal last time out, and with the international break to follow, it’s hoped that we can sign off on a positive note.
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As confirmed by Emery in his pre-match press conference on Friday, neither Matty Cash nor Diego Carlos have made the trip to the King Power Stadium, with the former suffering a hamstring injury last weekend that will sideline him for three to four weeks. As for Carlos, he has picked up a ‘small injury’, and so it remains to be seen when he is able to return.
Meanwhile, both Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara continue to make progress in their respective recoveries from long-term setbacks, but neither will be available for this one as they look to step up their returns in September.
Despite those absences though, Villa still have a strong squad at Emery’s disposal, and as per the club’s post below, there’s just one expected change at right-back, but certainly an unexpected one in terms of personnel.
After replacing Cash last weekend, Kosta Nedeljkovic had been expected to get the nod to deputise, but Emery has opted to hand Lamare Bogarde his Premier League debut, with the 20-year-old making a positive impression over pre-season.
Having signed a new contract earlier this month too, it looks as though the Villa boss is ready to show trust and belief in the young Dutchman, and so it will be interesting to see how he fares as he’ll hopefully contribute to a strong defensive performance, while allowing our attacking players to shine.
Nevertheless, it is a big call from Emery, as although Nedeljkovic is also inexperienced, he’s seemingly being prepared for a key role this season. However, with a strong bench including the likes of Jhon Duran, Jacob Ramsey, Emiliano Buendia and Ross Barkley, it’s hoped that we’ve got enough quality to come away with three points.
Today’s Aston Villa squad to face Leicester City 🟣 pic.twitter.com/edGma3nSml
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 31, 2024
