Matt Maher previews Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv
Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv team news: lineups named in UEFA Europa League.
Unai Emery and Zarko Lazetic have named their starting lineups and substitutes ahead of this evening’s UEFA Europa League clash at Villa Park.
Aston Villa play host to Maccabi in what is a highly anticipated fixture, notably for the attention it has drawn off the field. There will be no away fans this evening after they were banned from attending, a decision which has prompted parliamentary-level debate.
Over 700 police officers have been deployed on the streets of Birmingham due to concerns over potential unrest and protests. Planned marches include two by supporters of Palestine, while there’s a likelihood of demonstrations outside Villa Park.
Back to the footballing matters, and there are an important three points at stake for Villa tonight. With that in mind, Emery has named a strong starting XI despite rotating, with five changes from the side that lost 2-0 to Liverpool.
Donyell Malen gets the nod up top and it’s a very forward-minded attacking midfield behind him, with Evann Guessand, Jadon Sancho and Morgan Rogers all named in the XI. Captain John McGinn must wait for his 300th appearance as he’s on the bench.
Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv lineups
Without further ado, here’s how both teams shape up this evening.
Villa XI: Martinez (GK); Konsa, Lindelof, Pau, Maatsen; Onana, Bogarde; Rogers, Sancho, Guessand; Malen.
Villa subs: Bizot (GK), Oakley, Cash, Digne, McGinn, Buendia, Kamara, Tielemans, Elliott, Watkins, Broggio.
Maccabi XI: Mishpati (GK), Asante, Camara, Schlomo, Revivo, Sissokho, Noy, Peretz, Varela, Davida, Madmon.
Maccabi subs: Gerafi (GK), Melika (GK), Heitor, Andrade, Jehezkel, Gropper, Ben Harush, Ben Hemo, Lederman, Nicolaescu, Shahar, Abu Farchi.
Why is Ross Barkley in Aston Villa squad vs Maccabi?
Eagle-eyed Villa fans will spot that Ross Barkley is in the squad tonight despite not initially being registered in the Europa League. UEFA rules allow clubs to temporarily replace one injured outfield player before matchday six of the league phase.
In this case, Tyrone Mings is unregistered in favour of Barkley. Mings was recently told he would be out for the next seven weeks as he recovers from a hamstring problem sustained against Liverpool.
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