Aston Villa travel to Bournemouth on Sunday, and Unai Emery has decisions to make on his starting line-up for the Premier League encounter.
Villa secured a 2-1 win over Legia Warszawa in the Europa Conference League in midweek to follow up our win at Tottenham last weekend, and so it’s hoped that we can keep that momentum going as our impressive run continues.
READ MORE: Villa team news vs Bournemouth: Emery offers Watkins latest update
Bournemouth though, have found some form of their own, and so this promises to be a difficult test on the road, with Villa and Unai Emery still looking to improve away from home and find consistency.
Ideally, we would have a fully-fit squad available for the encounter, but suspension and injury could mean that we’re missing a couple of key players this weekend.
Watkins late call, Kamara out due to suspension
Emiliano Martinez is expected to come back into the side after being rested on Thursday night, and there will be changes ahead of him in his backline too.
Both Lucas Digne and Pau Torres are likely to return after sitting out too, replacing Alex Moreno and Clement Lenglet respectively, while Diego Carlos could be pushing for a starting berth with Ezri Konsa perhaps shifting across to the right side.
Moreno, Lenglet and Robin Olsen all impressed last time out, and it’s important we have that reliability and competition across the squad with our depth.
In midfield, Boubacar Kamara misses out due to suspension, and so it will be interesting to see how Emery solves that issue in the heart of the side.
One option is to move John McGinn more centrally, thus allowing Matty Cash to start in a more advanced role on the right side, with Douglas Luiz and Youri Tielemans perhaps completing the midfield quartet.
It’s difficult to see either Leander Dendoncker or Tim Iroegbunam coming straight into the starting XI in a like-for-like swap for Kamara, particularly with Emery having Jacob Ramsey back now too as another option to play on the left.
Going with Tielemans and Luiz in the middle would arguably be a bit of a gamble in terms of not having the physicality and defensive solidity against Bournemouth to control the game in that area of the pitch, and so McGinn’s tenacity and energy could be key.
In the final third, Moussa Diaby will look to build on his goal last time out, while there will be an anxious wait to determine if Ollie Watkins is passed fit to feature.
The 27-year-old was absent on Thursday night due to a small knock, with Emery confirming in his pre-match press conference that he will be assessed on Saturday ahead of the game.
Given his influence for us up top, it’s naturally hoped that Watkins is in contention, but Jhon Duran could be in line to step in if he’s not, while Nicolo Zaniolo could also lead the line, as he has done previously at other clubs, to give us a different dynamic in attack if the Villa boss feels as though that option could work.
That said, Emery did seem to play down the Watkins issue even though he suggested it might be 50/50 as to whether or not he plays, but the hope is that he’s able to return and start, perhaps with the possibility to come off and rest if we’re able to put ourselves in a strong position early on.
Predicted Aston Villa XI vs Bournemouth: Martinez, Konsa, Carlos, Pau, Digne; Cash, McGinn, Luiz, Ramsey; Diaby, Watkins.
Any changes you would make to the Villa XI above vs Bournemouth?
