Aston Villa are back in action in the Europa Conference League tonight, giving Unai Emery a decision to make ahead of selecting his team to play Olympiacos.
All eyes will be on Villa Park this evening, as Aston Villa welcome Olympiacos to Birmingham in the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final.
The Villans are just two games away from securing their place in a European final for the first time since 1982 but first, Unai Emery’s side must get the better of Olympiacos.
The last time the Greek side played competitively in England was back in 2021, beating Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates in the Europa League, bringing fond memories with them to Villa Park this evening.
It won’t be easy for Olympiacos, just as it won’t be easy for Villa who will be wary of the threat the visitors possess, along with worrying about their current injury list.
With Youri Tielemans and Alex Moreno the latest to be ruled out of the fixture, Emery will have a decision to make over selection and has been urged to make one bold tweak in defence.
Aston Villa urged to start Ezri Konsa over Diego Carlos against Olympiacos
While the manager’s primary concern will be crafting a midfield without Boubacar Kamara, Jacob Ramsey and now Tielemans, the boss could be tempted to change his back four.
Speaking on the 1874 podcast to preview tonight’s fixture, Sky Sports journalist David Reed explained why he would be inclined to start Ezri Konsa at centre-back over Diego Carlos.
“My inkling would be that Lenglet will come in and play and I actually think Matty Cash will start at right-back with Konsa and Lenglet at centre-back and Digne at left-back.
“Carlos has played most of the European games but I just feel like Konsa is so durable that there doesn’t seem to be too much of concern at the moment about him playing Thursday and Sunday.
“Given that defensively, he’s probably our best centre-back, it’ll probably be worth him starting.”
Emery has only used the central pairing of Konsa and Clement Lenglet on two occasions in the Europa Conference League this season, the most recent coming back in November during the group stage against Legia Warsaw.
It would be surprising for the boss to call the Englishman into action at centre-back however, Reed’s claim has some validity.
Ezri Konsa would be best used at centre-back against Olympiacos
While Emery has enjoyed using Konsa at right-back this season, there’s no doubt that the 26-year-old’s best position is in central defence.
The England international is a commanding and authoritative figure to have in central defence, as well as of course being a defender with an innate ability to sniff out danger.
With Matty Cash back, it would be wise for the boss to field his best right-back to go head-to-head with Olympiacos dangerman Kostas Fortounis, who has five goal contributions in six Conference League appearances this term.
The decision to start Konsa over Carlos does, as Reed suggests, come down to durability, with Villa’s fixtures coming thick and fast, the Brazilian has an extensive injury list and has not consistently dealt with threat as comprehensively as Konsa this term.
Resting Pau Torres and Carlos could be the best option for Emery as Villa return to action with another must-win game on Sunday, saving legs without forfeiting quality for this evening’s contest.
The post 'Our best...': Sky Sports journalist explains why Emery must start 'durable' Aston Villa ace tonight appeared first on Aston Villa News.
