Aston Villa take on Fulham on Saturday, looking to return to winning ways.
Unai Emery’s side suffered a damaging 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday, with Scott McTominay’s late header enough for Erik ten Hag’s side to take all three points.
Despite the loss, Aston Villa find themselves just one point adrift of the Champions League places and well-set for the remainder of the season.
Here, Aston Villa News looks at who could be in the starting lineup at three o’clock on Saturday afternoon.
After winning the club’s Player of the Month award for January, Emi Martinez will almost certainly start in goal. The Argentinian registered three clean sheets and conceded just three goals during the first month of 2024.
Matty Cash has started Villa’s last two matches and will likely start in the right-back role. The first change for Emery to consider is in central defence.
Diego Carlos suffered a hamstring issue in training and is out of the fixture. Pau Torres is the obvious candidate to replace the Brazilian, with the Spaniard in line to make his first start of 2024.
Clement Lenglet has started Villa’s last seven Premier League matches and will almost certainly be selected from the outset.
Lucas Digne could challenge Alex Moreno in the left-back role, but given the Spaniard has started the majority of Villa’s games since the turn of the year, he could keep his spot.
The other change should occur in midfield, with Youri Tielemans replacing the injured Boubacar Kamara. The 24-year-old is out for the season after sustaining an ACL injury against Manchester United.
Tielemans, who was once brandished “brilliant” by former England captain Bryan Robson, will be looking to grab this chance with both hands (The Daily Mail).
Aston Villa’s ability to bounce back has been impressive during the 2023/24 season. Emery’s side have yet to suffer back-to-back losses, having responded well to setbacks thus far.
A good performance is required this weekend. Fulham are unbeaten in three matches and have turned their poor run of form around.
Anything less than three points and Villa’s Champions League hopes will grow thin.
Leave a Reply