Aston Villa host Chelsea in our Premier League clash on Saturday evening, and here’s how Unai Emery’s starting line-up could look for the encounter.
Villa continue to feel the absence of key individuals, with Pau Torres, Boubacar Kamara, Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana all ruled out by Emery in his pre-match press conference on Friday, while both Ezri Konsa and Leon Bailey face a late fitness test to determine their availability this weekend.
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Given the length of their absence heading into this encounter, it would be a surprise to see either named in the starting XI, and so the expectation is that they could potentially provide us with a boost on the bench to continue to strengthen our options in reserve.
Nevertheless, such is the strength of our squad now, we are still more than capable of putting out a top side with the balance and quality required to secure all three points, but there remains some intriguing decisions for the Villa boss in key positions.
Bogarde, Malen and Ramsey to start?
Emiliano Martinez will continue between the posts, while Lucas Digne and Tyrone Mings are expected to form half of our backline to provide consistency down the left side.
However, with loanee Axel Disasi ineligible to face his parent club, Emery will be forced into at least one change at the back with Lamare Bogarde likely to deputise, unless Konsa is deemed fit enough to come straight back into the Villa XI.
Despite his error in midweek, Andres Garcia continues to look promising and has made a positive impression, but with Matty Cash coming off the bench to make his comeback from injury against Liverpool, the Spaniard will be under pressure to keep his spot in the Villa side this weekend. That said, with Cash still working his way back to full fitness, perhaps Garcia will get the nod again for this one, but especially if Bogarde is asked to start in the middle, Cash’s experience next to him could be crucial.
With our midfield absentees in mind, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans will likely have to continue to put in the hard graft as our deeper midfield pivot, with the pair doing a brilliant job in recent games to give us a solid foundation and control in that midfield battle. It’s hoped that they can continue to perform at such a high level until reinforcements return, as it’s certainly an increased strain and workload on them.
In contrast, Emery boasts excellent options in the attacking third, with Donyell Malen and Jacob Ramsey potentially coming back into the side to replace Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, with Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins expected to keep their starting berths given their critical influence on our play in the final third.
It’s a big decision for the Villa boss though when it comes to Rashford in particular as the Villa loanee was excellent in midweek as he looks to establish himself in the starting line-up, but with two games in the space of four days and with the difficulty of our packed schedule showing no signs of abating in the coming weeks, rotation may be key to ensure we keep everyone fully fit and avoid fresh injuries.
While it could be a big evening for Bogarde, the rest of the Villa XI shows we have the experience and quality to get all three points despite it being a tough ask against a top Chelsea side, and so regardless of personnel, it’s hoped that we come away with the desired outcome and continue to build momentum in our push to secure a top-five finish in the Premier League.
