Predicting Unai Emery’s Aston Villa lineup to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers away in the Premier League.
Aston Villa are back in Premier League action again this Friday night as they travel away to local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Villans were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Leeds United on Saturday but have an opportunity to bounce back against the team that has spent the season glued to the bottom of the standings.
Unai Emery considered Saturday a point gained rather than two dropped as Tammy Abraham came on to score a late equaliser, but it was a result that knocked Villa back in the Champions League race. As a result, winning at Molineux is a necessity to get back on track.
There are a few selection dilemmas to consider for the short trip to Wolverhampton, including who to start at left centre-back, left-back, attacking midfield, right wing and striker. Those aren’t the only positions up for debate, but they are the main ones.
We reckon Emery could chop and change in several of those areas, giving Villa the best possible chance of turning the screw on their old foes.
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GK - Emiliano Martinez: The World Cup winner remains the obvious first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Marco Bizot. Martinez has been making more mistakes than usual but he’s still one of the best in the world, many would argue.
RB - Matty Cash: Back in the team on Saturday and ready to go again, Cash is able to lock down this position. 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 determined to build some strong form ahead of this summer’s World Cup.
CB - Pau Torres: Villa missed Pau’s incisive passing out from the back against Leeds. As much as Tyrone Mings offers superb physicality, Pau is pivotal to the build-up play in Emery’s system.
LB - Ian Maatsen: Emery has chopped and changed between Digne and Ian Maatsen this season. Digne has been out of sorts recently, so Maatsen will probably continue to start for the foreseeable future.
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. With 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 - Ross Barkley: There could be a surprise start for Barkley, who has had some promising cameos off the bench lately. The ex-Chelsea and Everton man has done well in the number 10 role.
RW - Jadon Sancho: The Manchester United loanee has looked revitalised under Emery, particularly since the turn of the year. Sancho has to start ahead of Leon Bailey, surely.
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. Why would it?
ST - Tammy Abraham: The scorer of Villa’s last-gasp equaliser against Leeds, Abraham deserves to start. Ollie Watkins, meanwhile, is out of sorts and could be axed by Emery for this fixture.
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