Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is expected to make nine changes to his starting line-up for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Fulham at Villa Park.
Villa suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Brentford in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, ending their seven-match unbeaten run across all competitions. Emery rotated his squad for the cup tie, but several first-team regulars should return for the visit of Marco Silva’s side.
Villa currently sit ninth in the Premier League table with 11 points. However, they remain just four points behind the top four as the early-season standings continue to take shape.
Emery will want an immediate response from his players. Villa will be looking to build on last weekend’s impressive 2-1 victory over Manchester City.
Zion Suzuki and Defensive Changes Expected
Zion Suzuki is likely to return in goal following Marco Bizot’s start against Brentford. The summer acquisition has had a promising start to his time at Villa Park. He should be back in the starting line-up.
Matty Cash is also likely to return to the starting line-up at right back after starting against Brentford. Pau Torres may start alongside Victor Lindelof in central defence, with Tyrone Mings being left out of the squad.
Lindelof has come on in recent weeks and will be a useful option for Emery across the competitions. Adding Torres back into the squad will give the Villa defence another familiar face to keep Fulham quiet.
Maatsen should remain in his left back spot. He played the full 90 mins against Brentford, but Villa are suffering from injuries. Emery doesn’t have many options in that position.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka continues to be out with a thigh injury and will not return until late November. Matteo Ruggeri is also returning from a thigh injury. Amadou Onana will be sidelined for a long period of time after a serious knee injury.
This means Villa will not be able to make any wholesale changes to the backline despite the expected reshuffle from Emery.
Leon Goretzka and Nicolas Jackson Set for Starts
Boubacar Kamara is expected to be back in the starting XI, having been rested against Brentford. He could link up with Leon Goretzka in the middle of the park. It will be an important decision for Emery to make over how much he uses his summer signing.
Joao Gomes has played the full game in the last two games, against Manchester City and Brentford. There will likely be a change in the middle of the park.
Alysson could come back into the team in the attacking role on the right of midfield with captain John McGinn moving to the left. Johan Manzambi is also expected to move to central positions. He’s had a strong start to his time at Aston Villa.
The Swiss midfielder has scored 3 times in his last 5 games in the Premier League. His recent form may play a part in the team looking to get back into attacking mode against Fulham.
Nicolas Jackson is likely to spearhead the attack, having scored seven goals in ten games since joining Villa for 48 million pounds.
Tammy Abraham and Brian Madjo could be named on the bench to give Emery some options to switch up the teams attacking play if required.
Since Fulham’s Championship play-off second leg in 2018, they have failed to win at Villa Park. However, Emery will know that his side must show improvement from Wednesday’s performance to maintain their unbeaten home record and get their Premier League campaign back on track.
Aston Villa predicted line-up vs Fulham: Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Goretzka, Kamara; Alysson, Manzambi, McGinn; Jackson.
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