Lucas Digne is likely to be dropped against Brighton after his hopeless defending for Aston Villa away at Bournemouth.placeholder image
Lucas Digne is likely to be dropped against Brighton after his hopeless defending for Aston Villa away at Bournemouth. | Getty Images
Predicting Unai Emery’s Aston Villa lineup to take on Brighton at home in the Premier League.
Aston Villa will be eager to get back to winning ways at Villa Park as they play host to strugglers Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night.
The Villans, on the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Brentford and a disappointing 1-1 draw away at AFC Bournemouth, need a sharp response. Rivals in the hunt for Champions League qualification are gaining, so three points are pivotal this midweek.
The good news for Villa is that there probably isn’t any better time to face Brighton. The Seagulls, now down in 14th, have won just one of their last 12 Premier League matches. Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler is also under severe pressure after being booed and called to be sacked by his own supporters, during and following Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to foes Crystal Palace.
Unai Emery will likely make some changes for Wednesday’s clash with the Seagulls, with a couple possible in defence and more probable in attack. With that in mind, here’s the XI we reckon Emery will name at Villa Park.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Brighton
GK - Emiliano Martinez: The World Cup winner remains the obvious first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Marco Bizot. There’s no reason for him to be benched after a strong display at Bournemouth.
RB - Matty Cash: One of the first names on the team sheet, Cash has proven to be a very reliable asset for Emery. There was once a time Emery was unsure about his right-back options but Cash has now adapted to the manager’s system.
CB - Ezri Konsa: Villa’s number four has had the odd shaky moment this season but he’s been brilliant most of the time. Konsa will be as determined as anyone to get Villa back on track.
CB - Pau Torres: No matter who plays at left centre-back, they seem to be allowing mistakes to creep into their game. Pau and Tyrone Mings have both had poor moments recently but the former might play, thanks to his incisive passing out from the back.
LB - Ian Maatsen: Emery has chopped and changed between Digne and Ian Maatsen this season. Digne defended hopelessly against Bournemouth and deserves to be dropped for that.
CDM - Douglas Luiz: The Brazilian has slotted in exceptionally well considering he struggled so much at Nottingham Forest and Juventus. Emery has spoken about the huge responsibility Luiz has in the absence of Youri Tielemans and John McGinn.
CDM - Amadou Onana: Despite struggling for fitness, Onana should get the nod in the double pivot once again. Boubacar Kamara out for the rest of the season, Onana can perform a pivotal role in the final matches, as long as he can stay fit.
CAM - Emiliano Buendia: Villa’s surprise package so far this season, Buendia will be eager to carry on his fine form. The Argentine hasn’t been overly consistent but he’s been superb when at his best.
RW - Jadon Sancho: Now settled and starting to hit the ground running, Sancho is improving and deserves to start ahead of Leon Bailey. The assist against Bournemouth is a good step in the right direction.
LW - Morgan Rogers: Undroppable when available, Rogers simply has to start. Rogers has been in every Premier League XI so far this season, so we don’t expect that to change. He scored his eighth league goal of the campaign at the Vitality.
ST - Tammy Abraham: It may be controversial to drop Ollie Watkins as Villa’s lead striker, but Abraham showed more against Brentford than Watkins did at Bournemouth. Competition is healthy, especially at striker.
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