Aston Villa face Ajax in the Europa Conference League on Thursday evening, and here’s how Unai Emery’s starting line-up could look.
It’s the stand-out fixture of our European journey this season to date, with the history and prestige of the Dutch giants making this a memorable tie in the round of 16.
READ MORE: Villa team news vs Ajax: Jacob Ramsey update after injury setback
Having advanced to this stage after growing in confidence and belief as the group matches unfolded, and off the back of three consecutive Premier League wins, it’s hoped that Villa are in great shape going into the first-leg encounter.
Despite their struggles so far this year, Ajax remain a tough test, particularly in the away leg, and so it’s hoped that Emery can mastermind a positive result to bring back for the second leg at Villa Park next week.
Jacob Ramsey ruled out, Pau Torres to start?
Emiliano Martinez will be expected to start between the posts given the magnitude of the game, while we’ll likely stick with what’s served us well in recent weeks with Matty Cash and Alex Moreno in the full-back positions.
Villa received a significant boost last time out as Ezri Konsa made his comeback from injury, and so it’s likely that he’ll get another game to continue to build up his match fitness and sharpness.
The key decision will be who partners him in the heart of the Villa defence. Clement Lenglet has continued to play a solid role when needed, but if Pau Torres is passed fit having made the bench last weekend, it’s hoped that the Spaniard is included in the Villa XI given how influential he has been for us this season.
His presence will be a massive boost not only in this game but for Tottenham on Sunday too, and so if he can get minutes in midweek, it will hopefully set him back on the path to being a consistent figure in the Villa line-up for the remainder of the campaign.
In midfield, Leon Bailey, John McGinn and Douglas Luiz will surely keep their respective places, but with Jacob Ramsey being ruled out by Emery after he suffered a fresh injury setback at Luton, there will be one enforced change for the Villa boss.
Morgan Rogers and Nicolo Zaniolo will hope to come into contention as a straight swap on that left side, but could we see Youri Tielemans shifted across to fill that void, with Moussa Diaby coming in to support Ollie Watkins in the final third?
The Belgian international has struggled in that role this season when asked to play there as it doesn’t really suit his characteristics and he’s been less effective than when playing in an advanced, central role, and so it could be one for Emery to avoid, especially given what’s at stake in this meeting.
Nevertheless, if we want to control the tempo and possession in the game, having the technical ability and composure of Tielemans alongside Luiz could be a crucial factor that turns it in our favour.
Diego Carlos and Jhon Duran returned to group training this week and so they will likely strengthen our bench options, but the XI touted below will hopefully be enough for Villa to get the job done in the Dutch capital and put us in a strong position to advance to the next round heading into the second leg.
