Aston Villa face Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, looking to get their Champions League hopes back on track.
The Villans saw their hopes dented last week after Brentford produced a quickfire turnaround at Villa Park to secure a deserved 3-3 draw.
Mikel Arteta’s side are riding high at the top of the Premier League and promise to present arguably Villa’s toughest test to date.
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With Tottenham Hotspur facing Newcastle United in the early kickoff on Saturday, it could be a must-win for Emery’s men.
How will Aston Villa line up against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon?
Aston Villa News envisages Unai Emery making two changes to the team that beat Lille 2-1 in midweek.
The first will come in defence. Matty Cash returned to training this week and could be set to make his return to the starting XI at The Emirates. Emery told the media on Friday: “We will train tomorrow, and today we recovered with some players. Lenglet and Cash have trained today with the group.”
The 26-year-old could come into the side for Diego Carlos. The Brazilian has played plenty of football of late and could be due a rest, particularly when considering his previous injury record.
Ezri Konsa will shuffle alongside Pau Torres, with Lucas Digne and Emi Martinez making up the remainder of Villa’s backline.
Villa’s midfield will look slightly different at The Emirates, with Douglas Luiz suspended. Tim Iroegbunam could come in for another start after his outing against Manchester City. Emery could be more attacking, but considering the opposition, a defence replacement could be wise. Youri Tielemans and John McGinn will make up the rest of Villa’s midfield.
One further chance could occur in attacking midfield, with Moussa Diaby coming in for ‘powerful’ forward Morgan Rogers. The former Middlesbrough man has been superb of late but could be due a rest on Sunday.
Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey should retain their places at the top end of the pitch.
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