Aston Villa face Everton in the Premier League on Sunday, and here’s how Unai Emery’s starting line-up for the encounter could look.
Having had a useful break since our last outing a week ago and with another opportunity to rest and regroup to follow, Villa will hopefully be fully energised and in peak condition for what is likely to be another tough assignment.
READ MORE: Five key talking points from Unai Emery’s pre-Everton press conference
As we continue to try and solidify our place in the top four in the Premier League and fend off the chasing pack by maintaining that gap, it’s imperative that we pick up from where we left off in December and keep our fine form going.
Emery will have decisions to make though in terms of his Villa XI both due to injury boosts and tactical tweaks, and so it will be interesting to see what the Spanish tactician goes with at Goodison Park.
Pau Torres to return to Villa XI, Carlos over Cash?
Emiliano Martinez will be expected to continue between the posts, but there could be a change in the backline as Emery might consider a familiar tweak he makes on the road in particular.
While Alex Moreno is a certainty to start with Lucas Digne still sidelined by injury, Pau Torres was back in group training this week, as per Emery in his pre-match press conference, and he’ll hopefully be deemed fit enough to start this one and get back to being a hugely influential presence in our defence in both phases.
What is less clear at this stage is who will partner him in the middle, as there is a decision to be made between bringing Diego Carlos back into the side or sticking with Matty Cash.
In terms of having a solid balance and foundation away from home, we could see the Villa boss go with three centre-halves, with Ezri Konsa shifting across to right-back as Carlos partners Torres centrally.
However, that does take away Cash’s energy and pace down the right side, and so it will be a key decision for Emery that will impact how we approach our build-up play.
In midfield, we’re likely back to our strongest quartet with John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey, although the obvious decision is whether or not that means Leon Bailey drops to the bench or is pushed further forward to support Ollie Watkins instead of Moussa Diaby.
Such has been the form of the Jamaican international this season, it’s hard to see him dropping out, and so we could see him deployed on the right flank, with McGinn in a more advanced role in that mid-central No.10 position to provide the link between midfield and attack, where he has been very effective this year already.
Watkins will of course lead the line, while there will hopefully be a crucial boost on the bench as Youri Tielemans was back in group training this week too and he’ll hopefully be fit enough to feature at some stage to get valuable minutes.
The Belgian midfielder was starting to settle and find his best form prior to his injury setback last month and he’ll have an important role to play for us in the coming months, so it will give us a real lift if he’s involved this weekend.
Predicted Aston Villa XI vs Everton: Martinez, Konsa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, Alex Moreno; Bailey, Kamara, Douglas Luiz, J. Ramsey; McGinn, Watkins.
