Aston Villa face Juventus in the Champions League this week and Unai Emery has some important decisions to make with regards to his starting line-up.
Villa will be looking to bounce back after defeat at Club Brugge last time out in Europe, while we’re now without a win in our last six games across all competitions as we look to end our slump in form.
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It won’t be easy against a talented Juventus side led by Thiago Motta, but if we can play to our best ability and get the home crowd behind the players with a big performance, it has all the makings of another memorable European night against a European heavyweight at Villa Park.
In his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Emery confirmed that both Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara are available again after their injury setbacks, but neither Amadou Onana nor Jacob Ramsey have recovered in time to feature.
Cash, Konsa and Kamara to start?
Emiliano Martinez will take his usual spot between the posts, but there could be a very different backline to the one that started against Crystal Palace this past weekend.
Lucas Digne is expected to come in for Ian Maatsen at left-back, while Matty Cash should replace Lamare Bogarde on the opposite side having got minutes on Saturday in his return from an injury blow of his own.
While Pau Torres should keep his spot, it’s hoped that Konsa is fit enough to come straight back into the Villa XI after he sustained a hip issue while on international duty with England earlier this month.
If he’s only healthy enough for the bench, it’s likely that Diego Carlos will continue in his spot, while Tyrone Mings could be in contention too after making his comeback in Bruges with Emery opting to rotate.
Similarly to Konsa, there will be an anxious wait to determine if Kamara is given the green light to start after his hamstring injury, but there is a sense that he will be fundamental in this game as he adds balance and defensive solidity in front of the defence.
While the combination of Youri Tielemans and Ross Barkley certainly has its strengths, we still look too easy to play against and part of that problem is our midfield gets bypassed too easily, and so Kamara will hopefully come back in to shore things up and give us some much-needed presence and defensive awareness in the pivot.
Leon Bailey, Morgan Rogers and John McGinn are likely to continue behind Ollie Watkins to form our attacking unit, as given our recent form and need to get back to winning ways, Emery could opt to stick with what he feels is his strongest Villa line-up.
That said, Jaden Philogene and Jhon Duran could be in the conversation to start, but time will tell if the Villa boss is willing to make multiple changes to his side for what will be a tricky tactical battle against the Turin giants.
Villa need a big performance and three points to rebuild some confidence and form after a poor run, and this could be the ideal night as we look to continue our overall positive start in the Champions League and overcome the disappointment last time out in Belgium.
Predicted Aston Villa XI vs Juventus: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Pau, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins.
✅ Konsa & Kamara back available
❌ No Onana or RamseyPossibly too hopeful having just come back, but think Kamara is so important for this game & moving forward. Hope Bouba, Konsa & Cash are all able to start. Any changes? #avfc #UTV 🟣🔵 pic.twitter.com/ATDnd1btUO
— Talk Villa (@thetalkvilla) November 26, 2024
