Aston Villa face Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League on Thursday night, and Unai Emery has named his starting line-up for the encounter.
Villa will be looking to bounce back after our defeat to Go Ahead Eagles last time out in Europe, but we remain in a strong position to advance to the knockout phase of the competition regardless given our positive start.
That said, three points this week would certainly help our cause, while it would also represent an immediate return to winning ways after defeat at Liverpool last weekend, as we hope to put another winning run of form together heading into the festive period.
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There was good news this week as both Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia were seen taking part in group training as they have now recovered from their respective injuries, albeit it was unclear if they would be ready to feature in midweek.
It wasn’t all positive though unfortunately, as Tyrone Mings faces at least seven weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, and so we’ll hope to cope without him during that period, with Victor Lindelof perhaps tasked with a bigger role in his absence to provide cover behind Pau Torres.
Nevertheless, a strong Villa XI was expected on Thursday night, and as per the club’s post below, that is indeed the case despite Emery making five changes, with Lindelof, Ian Maatsen, Lamare Bogarde, Jadon Sancho and Donyell Malen coming in to replace Matty Cash, Lucas Digne, Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Ollie Watkins.
There is good news on the bench as both Tielemans and Buendia make the matchday squad, and that’s an important injury boost for Villa, if not for this game, then perhaps looking ahead to facing Bournemouth this weekend.
With plenty of quality on the bench if needed, it’s hoped that we can secure the desired result with minimal drama, but we’ll certainly have to be at our best to ensure we pick up all three points.
Your Villa starting XI this evening 👋 #UEL pic.twitter.com/AeNSOdBO7v
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) November 6, 2025