Aston Villa face Legia Warszawa in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night, and Unai Emery has decisions to make on his starting line-up.
Although we’ve recovered well after our defeat in Warsaw in our opening game, there’s still work to do to finish top in Group E and secure a direct path to the knockout stage.
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While Emery may see it as a disadvantage to play less games if we bypass the playoffs round by finishing second, there is naturally a strong argument in favour of having that extra time to rest in the second half of a gruelling campaign.
Given the squad at his disposal, the Villa boss is expected to name a strong XI regardless as he doesn’t have any fresh injury concerns, but much will depend on how much rotation he wishes to go with as we do have a hectic schedule coming up.
That said, if he wants to try and wrap up top spot in the group and not leave it to the last matchday, we should go as strong as possible in this one.
If it’s the latter option, Emiliano Martinez is likely to keep his place between the posts, while we could see Clement Lenglet come back into the starting line-up given that the Frenchman has impressed in his last two outings for us in Europe.
That will afford Pau Torres a midweek rest, while it could be the same for Ezri Konsa with Matty Cash and Diego Carlos getting the nod in the backline.
There will be an important decision at left-back as it remains to be seen if Alex Moreno is fit enough to start, and that would be a huge boost for us to see the Spaniard getting a significant run-out and building his match fitness after a lengthy injury layoff.
If he isn’t quite ready for that, Lucas Digne could start, with Moreno getting minutes off the bench.
In midfield, John McGinn may keep his spot on the right side, and given Boubacar Kamara is suspended on Sunday for our trip to Bournemouth, it arguably makes sense for him to start in this one to keep him sharp.
Conversely, Douglas Luiz could be rested with Youri Tielemans given another chance to impress and build on his positive recent form, with Jacob Ramsey starting on the left after getting minutes at the weekend.
Moussa Diaby is searching for some consistent form too and so he may well start behind Ollie Watkins, but with Nicolo Zaniolo back in contention, the Italian playmaker could come back in and will rival Leon Bailey for a starting berth.
Again, much will depend on Emery’s desire to rotate balanced with what he feels is the strongest side to get the job done. If he feels comfortable in resting more key players, perhaps we’ll see the likes of Robin Olsen, Leander Dendoncker and Jhon Duran too.
Ultimately though, it would surely be preferable to focus on three points this week, put ourselves in control of top spot in Group E, and then perhaps rest more players for the final group game next month when we travel to Zrinjski.
Predicted Aston Villa XI vs Legia Warszawa: Martinez, Cash, Diego Carlos, Lenglet, Moreno; McGinn, Kamara, Tielemans, Ramsey, Bailey, Watkins.
What Villa XI would you like to see tomorrow night?
