Aston Villa host Newcastle Utd in the Premier League this weekend, and here’s how Unai Emery’s starting line-up could look for the encounter.
The Villa boss provided good news in his pre-match press conference on Friday, as he confirmed that we’ve not suffered any fresh injury setbacks and he expects to have every player in contention to feature on Saturday evening.
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While that certainly gives him some selection headaches, it conversely gives us important alternative tactical solutions too from a more positive perspective, and so it’s hoped that we find the right balance in our set-up to put ourselves in a strong position to secure all three points.
Ultimately, Villa can’t now afford to slip up in the league if we are to seal a top-five finish and subsequently return to the Champions League next season, and so as we look for a fifth consecutive league win, it would be the ideal way to bounce back from our disappointment in midweek.
Five potential changes, Watkins to start?
Emiliano Martinez is likely to keep his place between the posts as every game between now and the end of the season is crucial and we can’t afford to rest him, but once again, he’ll see changes in the backline.
The task of predicting Villa’s potential line-up has gradually become a more difficult task as the season has progressed and as players have returned from injury, and so there are so many variables and alternative choices that Emery could easily go with to give us a different look.
However, Axel Disasi could come back in at right-back to replace Matty Cash, while Tyrone Mings and Ian Maatsen will hope to get the nod and make a positive impression, with Ezri Konsa perhaps the only one to keep his spot from Tuesday night.
The combination of Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara worked well in the deeper midfield pivot, giving us a solid foundation and physical presence to control and dictate the game more effectively, and so with Newcastle posing a real threat in the final third, the defensive-minded duo could be a key factor in helping us nullify them as best as possible.
While Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers have been tireless this season and have not had much in the way of rest thus far, there were signs in midweek that it could be catching up with them finally, and so it wouldn’t be that surprising if Emery decided to freshen things up in those positions.
That said, much will depend on their condition and how they’re feeling as it’s easy to see Emery giving them the nod if they’re adamant that they’re ready to play, as they’ve been so influential for us to this point.
Nevertheless, Donyell Malen should come in as he looks to extend his impressive recent form with three goals in his last three league outings, while John McGinn and Marcus Rashford will add tenacity, work-rate, pace and a direct threat between them to hopefully give us a good balance in the attacking third.
Up top, it surely has to be Ollie Watkins to lead the Villa line after he’s had to settle for a bench role in recent games, and particularly after his impact against Southampton last weekend, he’ll be itching to secure a starting berth and get back to scoring goals consistently to help us finish the season well.
Cash, Lucas Digne, Andres Garcia, Ross Barkley, Marco Asensio, Tielemans, Rogers, Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey will all be pushing and vying for a starting role too which again reiterates our strength in depth and competition for places, and so it will be fascinating to see what Villa XI it is that Emery believes gives us the best possible chance of winning this particular game.
