Aston Villa host Tottenham in the Premier League on Friday night, and here’s how Unai Emery’s starting line-up could look for the encounter.
Villa must win both of our remaining league games as we continue to pursue a Champions League qualification spot, and although Spurs may be distracted by their upcoming Europa League final, Emery and the players know we must still produce our best this week to secure three crucial points.
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The expectation is that the race for a top-five finish will go down to the wire, but we simply can’t afford to slip-up in this clash if we are to keep our hopes alive and pile the pressure onto our rivals for the remainder of the weekend.
Emery confirmed in his pre-match press conference that both Youri Tielemans and Marcus Rashford are ruled out due to injury, while Jacob Ramsey will play no part as he’s suspended following his red card at Bournemouth last week.
In turn, Villa will be forced into at least one change, but we could see Emery tweak a few more positions to give us a more attacking and front-foot approach at home.
Four changes, Malen to get a chance in starting XI?
While Emiliano Martinez will continue in goal, there could be changes to the backline as we look to control tempo and possession, while adding more energy and attacking threat down the flanks.
In turn, both Ian Maatsen and Pau Torres could come back into the side to replace Lucas Digne and Tyrone Mings respectively, as Villa must play with intent and put pressure on Spurs, while having the technical quality to build play and prise them open.
That’s where both Maatsen and Pau can make a positive impact on a game, while Ezri Konsa and Matty Cash should keep their respective spots given they’re in good form going into this encounter.
With Tielemans still sidelined, we should see the partnership of Boubacar Kamar and Amadou Onana continue in our midfield pivot, and they’ll have an important job once again in giving us a foothold in the game, while winning the midfield battle will help us dictate and dominate the clash in both phases.
Ollie Watkins will undoubtedly lead the Villa line as he aims to add to his tally having now become our all-time top Premier League goalscorer, but there are options at Emery’s disposal when it comes to the attacking trident to play behind him.
Morgan Rogers is a lock to start, while skipper John McGinn is expected to come back into the side. However, Emery’s conundrum lies in the third spot, as although he could stick with Marco Asensio with his ability to provide creativity and prise open Tottenham’s defence if they opt to sit back in numbers, Donyell Malen has arguably now earned a starting berth.
The Dutchman has made a positive impact off the bench practically in every game that he has been introduced with his pace, movement and directness, and although that might work against him as he could be an ideal option to bring on in the latter stages to find a breakthrough if needed, does he deserve the nod ahead of Asensio?
Emery will no doubt come up with his gameplan specifically tailored to get the better of Spurs, and it remains to be seen how accurate the touted Villa XI below proves to be.
Agree with the line-up, or would you make changes?
