Aston Villa will chase another three points as they travel to face Bournemouth today.
Aston Villa recorded their fourth Europa Conference League group stage win on the bounce by defeating Polish side Legia Warsaw 2-1 on Thursday evening.
The result now means Unai Emery will be able to rest some first-team stars in their last match against Zrinjski Mostar in a couple of weeks as they have secured qualification to the knockout stages with a game to spare.
The Midlands outfit just keep getting better and if Emery continues to manage his squad expertly like he has done already this season, there is a genuine chance Villa could break into the top four and claim a Champions League berth for next season.
With a Premier League tie coming up this afternoon against Bournemouth, the Spaniard will likely make quite a few changes in order to keep his starting XI fresh as they aim to continue their splendid run of form.
We at superssport FanCast predict that Emery will make five changes to the team that defeated Legia in midweek and this should be more than enough against a team who have won just three times in the league this season.
1
GK – Emiliano Martínez
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The World Cup hero was given the night off against Legia, and he will be fresh for a trip to the south coast today.
Martinez has kept only two clean sheets across 12 Premier League matches so far this season, but Villa’s wonderful attacking unit have ensured he hasn’t been punished much.
2
RB – Matty Cash
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The right-back will retain his place in the starting XI from midweek and throughout the season so far, he has yet to miss a match, starting every single league game in the process.
Emery has experimented and played Cash slightly further forward occasionally and, while not his natural position, Cash did manage to score twice against Burnley while operating on the right side of midfield.
Cash will operate on the right side of the defence against the Cherries.
3
CB – Pau Torres
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Another player who was rested in Europe. Pau Torres has only featured for a grand total of 1 minute during Villa’s group stage matches as Emery has kept him for domestic duty.
He will be the second change for Villa as the Spaniard will come into the starting XI to replace Ezri Konsa.
The former Villarreal defender has started all but one league tie this season and has even chipped in with two goals, a solid return.
4
CB – Diego Carlos
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Emery has excellent depth at centre-back, despite the injury to Tyrone Mings, and this will allow him to drop Clement Lenglet to the bench in place of the Brazilian for Villa’s third change.
The former Sevilla defender missed a large chunk of last season due to injury, but he has returned to full health and has already made 13 appearances across all competitions.
Carlos and Torres have started together three times in the league and conceded three goals, indicating that they could form a decent partnership.
5
LB – Lucas Digne
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Emery will rest left-back Alex Moreno in place of Lucas Digne for his fourth change as he will opt to give the returning Spaniard a rest.
Moreno managed to score the winner against the Polish side with a well taken goal and was praised by journalist Jacob Tanswell, who said the left-back looked “really sharp” after his six-month injury layoff.
That being said, the former Arsenal manager will be aiming to avoid rushing him back and this will allow Digne to come into the starting XI.
6
RM – Leon Bailey
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Leon Bailey will come back into the starting XI having been among the substitutes for the European tie and he has been in superb form this season.
Across 19 appearances across all competitions, the former Bayer Leverkusen gem has scored six goals and grabbed six assists, finally living up to the hype which saw him secure a big-money move to England in 2021.
He will pose a big threat against the Cherries and could be key for Villa if they aim to claim another three vital points. It’s likely Youri Tielemans will be dropped as a result.
7
CM – Boubacar Kamara
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Kamara will also retain his place in the starting XI ahead of the tie against Bournemouth and Emery looks as though he is bringing out the best in the Frenchman, who has missed just two games so far this season.
In the top flight, the midfielder has a pass success rate of 91% while recovering 4.8 balls per game, and these displays have ensured he is an undisputed starter.
8
CM – Douglas Luiz
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The Brazilian has been an unlikely source of goals for Villa domestically this season, as in just 13 matches, the midfielder has already scored five times along with grabbing two assists.
He will be the first name on Emery’s team sheet and will be hoping to keep up these excellent displays of late.
9
LM – John McGinn
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The Scot has firmly established himself as a key man in the Villa midfield and his versatility has been a huge bonus for Emery.
The 29-year-old has featured on the right and left hand side of the midfield, along with slotting into an attacking midfield role, yet the Spaniard will utilise him on the left against Bournemouth.
10
ST – Moussa Diaby
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Moussa Diaby scored his fourth Villa goal with a fourth minute effort against Legia and Emery will be keen to utilise his clinical nature in front of goal by starting up as a centre-forward once again.
The 24-year-old has the pace and creativity to cause plenty of problems today, and he has the chance to add to these four goals, without a shadow of a doubt.
11
ST – Jhon Duran
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The Colombian started in midweek, and he could well be thrown into the starting XI again as Ollie Watkins might not be available.
Speaking prior to the match, Emery said: “He’s [Watkins] not completely unavailable for Sunday, we are going to wait for tomorrow, and it depends if we can take a risk or not with him and what he feels for the demand we are going to face on Sunday.
“We are thinking only about the match on Sunday. At the moment, he is 50/50.”
With this in mind, the former Arsenal manager may not wish to risk him and perhaps give Duran another chance to prove his worth.
Aston Villa’s predicted XI vs Bournemouth – GK – Martinez; RB – Cash, CB – Torres, CB – Carlos, LB – Digne; RM – Bailey, CM – Kamara, CM – Luiz, LM – McGinn; ST – Diaby, ST – Duran.
