Aston Villa face Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday, and Unai Emery has named his starting line-up for the encounter.
The Villa boss makes seven changes to the side that lost to Newcastle United in the FA Cup in our last outing, with Emiliano Martinez, Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Ian Maatsen, Emiliano Buendia and Ollie Watkins all returning to the starting XI.
Cash is of course the major talking point as he returns from his injury setback, and that is a critical boost for Villa as he has consistently been a top performer for us so far this season, providing us with quality and balance down the right side.
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Importantly, we have options available on the bench to change things if needed with Ross Barkley, Jadon Sancho and Tammy Abraham offering fresh energy and attacking quality in the final third, but it’s hoped that Villa can not only secure three crucial points this weekend, but also put on a more convincing display to give ourselves a real boost heading into the final stretch of the campaign.
Marco Bizot misses out as he serves his suspension following his red card against Newcastle, and so that will be one to watch as we’ll hope that Martinez is able to make it through the entire game, while we’ve got a good balance to the rest of the team as we look to dominate and dictate tempo and possession, while showing the necessary creative quality in the final third to find ways through Leeds.
Villa start the day just five points ahead of nearest rivals Manchester United in the ongoing battle for Champions League qualification, while a win would move us to within five points of league leaders Arsenal, and so the margin for error is increasingly small now as we push to put together a strong run of form at a decisive point in the season.
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