Aston Villa host Liverpool in the Premier League on Wednesday night, and here’s how Unai Emery’s starting line-up could look for the encounter.
Winless in our last four league outings and having been held to a draw by 10-man Ipswich Town this past weekend, Villa must now put together a good run of form if we are to challenge our rivals for a European qualification spot for next season.
READ MORE: Potential triple Villa injury boost ahead of Liverpool clash, Kamara update
A visit from the league leaders will be a massive test given their form on the road so far in this campaign, but it’s a challenge that Emery and the Villa players will hopefully be inspired by to produce a big performance.
Injuries are still a headache for the Villa boss as we’re either missing key individuals or hoping to have some return this week, but despite being shorthanded, we’ll hopefully have a strong starting line-up and options on the bench to get a positive result.
Mings to replace injured Kamara, Rashford to get starting berth?
While Emiliano Martinez will continue between the posts, Emery did suggest in his pre-match press conference that both Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa could be in contention to feature in this game.
After their respective injury layoffs though, it would be a surprise to see either immediately come back into the starting line-up, and with Andres Garcia impressing at right-back, the Spaniard should keep his spot.
Tyrone Mings will come in to replace Boubacar Kamara who is the latest key figure to pick up an injury, while Axel Disasi could continue to partner him in the middle, with Lucas Digne completing our backline.
Emery didn’t mention either Ross Barkley or Amadou Onana when speaking to the media and so it remains to be seen if either of our midfield pair are ready to return, but with no Kamara, that should see John McGinn and Youri Tielemans continue in the deeper pivot.
That duo will be fundamental in this game as we need them to give us a foundation on which we can control the game and dictate the tempo, but equally, our attacking unit has to be clinical and ruthless against top-level opposition if we are to secure a win.
Having impressed off the bench in our previous two games, Marcus Rashford may well be in line to start this one, and while he might operate primarily on the left flank, that could shift Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rogers across to accommodate.
That dangerous attacking trident will likely provide support behind Ollie Watkins who will lead the line, with Donyell Malen, the impressive Marco Asensio and potentially Leon Bailey on the bench ready to make an impact if called upon.
Despite our absentee list, we’ve got intriguing options across the pitch, and it will be down to Emery to find the right balance and combinations that will prove to be pivotal to getting all three points at Villa Park on Wednesday night.
