Aston Villa’s season hit a new low as their unbeaten record at home come to an abrupt halt courtesy of a 1-0 defeat to Ipswich on Saturday afternoon. After this latest loss, their 5th defeat in their last six games, not even the most optimistic of Villa fans will still think that promotion is still achievable.
Just like with the game against Nottingham Forest last weekend, Villa arguably did not deserve to go away from this game empty handed. They dominated Ipswich throughout the match, but they just were not able to put one of their whopping 22 chances in the back of the net. As has been the tale of Villa’s season, their profligacy in front of goal came back to haunt them in the end. With 83 minutes on the clock, Ipswich had their first shot on target and Johnstone, as he has been doing far too much lately, was picking the ball out of the back of his net.
However, Villa do not have time to dwell on how they lost this one, as they have a very important game coming up on Tuesday at home to Barnsley. Villa need to start picking up points, and quick, or they could unbelievably find themselves in a relegation battle.
Here’s our predicted XI for Tuesday’s match against Barnsley.
Bruce will more than likely stick to the 3-5-2 formation he has been using lately.
GK: Sam Johnstone
Had nothing to do against Ipswich until the 83rd minute when he had to pick the ball out of his net. We don’t see Bruce dropping him for Tuesday’s game.
CB: Nathan Baker
Has turned into a very solid defender for Villa. He is willing to put his body on the line for 90 minutes, and that is exactly what Villa need.
CB: James Chester
As Villa captain, he is one of the first names on the team sheet. He breaks up play nicely, makes timely interceptions and is so calm on the ball. He rarely deserves to be on the losing side.
CB: Tommy Elphick
Looked confident against Ipswich and has been solid since he returned to the side. He should get another chance to show his ability on Tuesday night.
RWB: James Bree
If he has recovered from a knock to his knee, then he should definitely make his home debut. Alan Hutton at RWB just doesn’t sit right with us.
CM: Henri Lansbury
Put in a very good shift and knows how to play a defence-splitting pass. All we need now is the strikers to start putting them away.
CM: Conor Hourihane
It looks like he is starting to settle in at Villa. He looked busy throughout the Ipswich match and provides a threat with his set-pieces. He should definitely keep his place in the starting XI.
CM: Birkir Bjarnason
Played really well against Ipswich and was unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet. He has high energy levels and does his defensive duties well too. He linked up well with Lansbury which was good to see. After his performance today, he deserves to start on Tuesday.
LWB: Neil Taylor
Had an okay debut, but needs time to gel with his new teammates. As a result, we reckon Bruce will give him another opportunity on Tuesday.
ST: Scott Hogan
He is undoubtedly a very talented striker and his first goal for Villa will hopefully come very soon. He might have had it already if Kodjia passed to him more often.
ST: Jonatha Kodjia
He is undoubtedly a very talented striker and his first goal for Villa will hopefully come very soon. He might have had it already if Kodjia passed to him more often.