Aston Villa host Wolves on Wednesday night hoping to build on our win at Tottenham on Sunday and to climb the Premier League table.
Unai Emery will likely want to avoid making too many changes to a winning side, especially given how impressive our performance was this past weekend.
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There were several top displays across the pitch individually, and collectively we were excellent for the most part in both phases of the game.
Emery facing Villa injury headaches
However, he will potentially be forced into some changes due to injuries, with John McGinn limping off with an apparent hamstring strain in the second half and that will surely make it difficult for him to recover in time.
Further tests will no doubt have been carried out by the time the game comes around, and so while it’s obviously hoped that he hasn’t suffered a serious setback, the expectation is that he might not be risked in midweek.
The same could be said for Douglas Luiz who was also replaced after picking up a knock, but it didn’t appear to be serious as he came back onto the pitch at full-time to celebrate with his teammates, and so hopefully our midfield pair have both avoided a lengthy spell out.
Additionally, Ashley Young and Ezri Konsa were in the wars in north London, and particularly in the former’s case, it might be a bit of a stretch for him to play twice in four days even if he has avoided a knock.
With Matty Cash available and pushing to get his place back, he could come in for Young at right-back, or possibly even ahead of him in place of McGinn, but the Polish international will surely force his way into the Villa XI one way or another.
Emi Martinez to return to Villa XI?
The other big call that Emery will have to make is between the posts, as with Emi Martinez now having another two days of training under his belt, he’ll be hopeful that he has proven he is well rested and is ready to come back into the side.
Robin Olsen put in a solid performance on Sunday, but Martinez is ultimately levels above in all departments and is our No.1 goalkeeper for a reason. In turn, it’s hoped that he returns to the XI.
With Martinez in goal, Cash, Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Lucas Digne could form the backline, while Luiz, Boubacar Kamara and Emiliano Buendia will likely have a new partner in midfield. Philippe Coutinho, Leander Dendoncker, Morgan Sanson and potentially Jacob Ramsey – if he has recovered from his injury – could all be in contention, but it seems in terms of fitness that Coutinho could be at the front of the queue given his cameo appearances in the last two games.
Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey could keep their places up front, with Danny Ings and Cameron Archer having to settle for a place on the bench again.
It’s a fascinating wait ahead to see what Emery does as he will likely shuffle his pack slightly. Cash in front of Young on the right side can’t be ruled out, but being at home and off the back of such an excellent win, Villa could look to be more positive with their approach against a Wolves side struggling in the bottom three.
