Aston Villa’s hopes of achieving another top-five finish in the Premier League were kept alive following a 1-0 victory over Brentford over the weekend.
The Midlands side trail Manchester City in fifth place by just two points and the next few weeks could be exciting to say the least.
Indeed, Unai Emery’s side also have an FA Cup quarter-final tie against Preston North End to look forward to this weekend.
Before that, they play the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Club Brugge. Leading 3-1 from the first leg, Emery might make a change or two.
Aston Villa's Marco Asensio, Aston Villa's Ian Maatsen, Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers and Aston Villa's Youri Tielemans celebrate after the match
Despite playing well against Brentford, Jacob Ramsey could be dropped from the starting XI.
Jacob Ramsey's game in numbers against Brentford
The Englishman started on the left wing against the Bees and provided an assist for Ollie Watkins to score the only goal of the game just minutes into the second half.
Additionally, Ramsey also made one key pass, registered two shots in total, completed 87% of his passes and delivered one accurate cross into the opposition penalty area.
Jacob-Ramsey-Kinsky
A decent showing, one that helped the club secure a vital three points in their chase to finish in one of the Champions League spots for next season.
With games coming thick and fast, Ramsey might find himself dropped to the bench in favour of one of Emery’s winter signings.
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The Aston Villa star who should replace Ramsey
Marcus Rashford has made a fast start at Villa. Could he be the man to unlock the Brugge defence on Wednesday evening?
Rashford has featured eight times since joining the club on an initial loan deal until the end of the season, chipping in with three assists in the process.
Described as “unplayable” by analyst Raj Chohan in 2024, the Englishman will be hoping that a positive spell in the Midlands can revitalise his career.
Rashford-Aston-Villa
His finest performance so far for the club came against Chelsea a few weeks ago during a 2-1 victory.
Not only did Rashford grab both assists, but he also made three key passes, succeeded with 94% of his passes and created two big chances throughout the clash.
The best aspect? The Man United loanee only played the second half, making his display all the more effective and if he can bring these types of performances to Emery’s side on a consistent basis, they could go far in both cup competitions.
Rashford's stats vs Club Brugge (04/03/2025)
Goals
Assists
Key passes
Touches
Successful passes
Dribble attempts (successful)
Via Sofascore
Although Villa lead the Belgian side 3-1 on aggregate, Emery will be hoping his team can hammer the nail in the coffin early, preventing any late drama, especially with an FA Cup tie coming up a few days later.
Ramsey may feel hard done by if he is dropped, but in Rashford, the Spaniard has a player who is capable of producing moments of magic which will ensure Villa secure yet another victory in Europe’s premier club competition.
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