Aston Villa face a difficult trip to Chelsea on Saturday as we hope to finally break into the top half of the Premier League table with a win at Stamford Bridge.
Unai Emery saw his side rediscover some excellent form prior to the international break, as we picked up three wins and a draw, scoring seven goals and conceding just one, which came from the penalty spot at West Ham.
READ MORE: Villa youngster continues to stake claim for bigger role from Emery
Having re-established our defensive solidity and combined that with the attacking quality that we’ve shown since Emery arrived, Villa were able to find an important balance earlier this month and continue to go from strength to strength under the Spaniard.
It’s hoped that the break hasn’t disrupted our momentum and form, and particularly given the quality of the opposition this weekend regardless of their current struggles and position in the standings, we’ll have to be at our best to return home with a positive result.
Emery forced into one change, chance for Duran?
After Matty Cash was forced to return early from international duty during the break after picking up a calf injury while in action for Poland, the expectation is that he won’t be available to face Chelsea this weekend.
As per Przeglad Sportowy, it’s suggested that the 25-year-old could be sidelined for as long as three weeks, but we’ll wait to hear official news from Emery in his press conference on Friday.
Assuming he can’t recover in time for Saturday, Ashley Young is arguably the sensible straight swap at right-back, with the experienced veteran showing already this season that he can certainly still do a job for us in that role.
That perhaps makes more sense than rushing Diego Carlos back and shifting the backline around which would be a questionable move given our impressive defensive run recently, and so Young is likely to come back in.
Emi Martinez will continue between the posts, with Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Alex Moreno completing the back four.
In midfield, John McGinn and Douglas Luiz are expected to continue in the heart of the side, although it’s hoped we get positive news on Boubacar Kamara’s recovery later this week as the Frenchman will potentially be in contention to make the bench if he’s recovered sufficiently from his ankle injury.
Emery does face an important decision in the final third though. With Jhon Duran scoring his first senior international goal for Colombia earlier this week in his first start, the 19-year-old has surely staked his claim for a starting spot in the Villa XI at the expense of Leon Bailey, having also made a positive impression off the bench for us on several occasions now.
Bailey provided an assist last time out in the 3-0 win over Bournemouth, but it was a moment of quality that has been all too rare from the Jamaican international, and so it remains to be seen if Duran gets a chance instead.
Realistically, Emery probably won’t want to change too much unless he has to given our form prior to the break, and coupled with the travel involved for those returning from international duty further afield in South America, he’ll have to make a call on their condition when they return to Bodymoor Heath.
Nevertheless, the expectation is that we’ll be relatively unchanged, albeit with Young coming in for the injured Cash as we look to maintain our good form and continue our push up the Premier League table in the remaining games.