If you’d have said before the season that Barnsley v Aston Villa would be a battle between the 7th and 17th placed sides in the table, most people would have thought that it would be Villa sitting just outside the playoff positions, but that’s not the case.
With just one win and six draws to show from their nine games, Villa could do with a victory to kick-start their season, but three points won’t be easy to come by as they make the journey north.
Barnsley are an erratic side, the’ve won five and lost four games, including two defeats on the spin, so Villa should be confident of getting a result, but mustn’t think that the game will be a walk in the park.
Ahead of the game at Oakwell, we’ve tried to predict the starting line-up that Roberto Di Matteo will select. It was a tricky task too!
Here’s the team we think he’ll pick in a 4-2-3-1 formation:
Goalkeeper: Pierluigi Gollini
No brainer really, the Italian is the clear first choice at the moment.
Right Back: Leandro Bacuna
Bacuna didn’t feature against Newcastle but we think he’ll be back for this game.
Centre Back: James Chester
It’s a case of two from three at the back really and we’re confident that Chester will play, alongside…
Centre Back: Tommy Elphick
…Tommy Elphick. Hopefully those two can form a solid partnership. A clean sheet would be nice!
Left Back: Jordan Amavi
Amavi is a really good player, let’s hope he was one of his better games tonight in a slightly deeper role.
Centre Midfield: Mile Jedinak
The Australian llooks like he’s going to be a key part of Villa’s midfield this season. We think he keeps his place.
Centre Midfield: Aaron Tshibola
After coming off the bench to score against Newcastle, we see Tshibola starting this game.
Right Wing: Albert Adomah
Villa have a few options they can use in forward areas, but we think Adomah gets the nod. We’d appreciate if Getty Images could get a picture of him in a Villa kit too!
Left Wing: Jordan Ayew
Aye has had three assists in nine league games this season. He’ll be hoping to get his first league goal of the campaign.
Second Striker: Ross McCormack
We’re going out on a limb here and are hoping that Ross McCormack is fit to play. If he’s not, we expect the hopefully reformed Jack Grealish to play instead!
Striker: Jonathan Kodjia
There is an argument to be made for Rudy Gestede to play with Kodjia playing a bit deeper but we think the Ivorian will lead the line.