Aston Villa start the new Premier League season away at Newcastle Utd this weekend, with Unai Emery having to do without a string of key players.
Emiliano Buendia was the latest to be added to our absentee list after he suffered a ‘significant knee ligament’ injury in training on Wednesday, and he is now expected to face a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Sign up for the Talk Villa newsletter, a free weekly Villa round-up delivered straight to you!
In his pre-match press conference, Emery confirmed that Jacob Ramsey, Alex Moreno, Leander Dendoncker, Bertrand Traore, Jhon Duran and Tim Iroegbunam will play no part either, and so we will be without several important individuals both in terms of our starting XI and depth.
That said, we still have plenty of quality available for the trip to St James’ Park, and it’s hoped that we can manage to come away with a positive result to get the new campaign started on a good note.
Debuts for Torres, Diaby plus key decisions for Emery
Emiliano Martinez will start between the posts, but there are different options that Villa could go with in defence given the tactical flexibility and versatility that we have available.
With the difficulty of this challenge in mind, Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings could be given the nod to continue their strong partnership in the heart of our defence, with Matty Cash deployed on the right and Pau Torres on the left.
As we saw in pre-season, that system will see the Spaniard tuck inside when we’re in possession to create a back three, with Cash pushing forward to offer width and an attacking outlet on the opposite flank.
Conversely, Emery could go with Konsa at right-back, and we could see Torres shift into the middle to partner Mings with Lucas Digne at left-back. Time will tell which he goes with, but having those three centre-halves on the pitch together could solidify our backline in a game where we’ll certainly be tested.
There’s also a big call to make in midfield now too. While John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz are almost certain starters, it remains to be seen who we go with instead of Buendia.
Youri Tielemans impressed in pre-season, but can we fit him into that midfield, perhaps in a wider role, and maintain our same balance? Is that the right midfield from a defensive perspective to stand up to Newcastle’s pressure?
Jaden Philogene is perhaps an outside bet having impressed all summer, but Leon Bailey is likely to now be given the chance to start the season well after an indifferent and inconsistent run under Emery last year.
That in turn enables Moussa Diaby to provide support behind Ollie Watkins, and it will be fascinating to see how they link up in the final third as their speed, movement and quality in front of goal could prove to be the difference.
It’s a bitter blow losing Buendia especially so close to the start of the new season with a serious setback, but others will now have to step up and deliver on Tyneside as we look to build on our impressive form under Emery from last season and kick on again.
Predicted Aston Villa XI vs Newcastle Utd: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Torres; McGinn, Kamara, Luiz, Bailey; Diaby, Watkins.