Aston Villa face a stiff test against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday as we look for a fifth straight win in all competitions.
After a painfully disappointing loss to Newcastle United on the opening weekend, we’ve won four straight games in all competitions, scoring 15 goals and conceding just one.
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This will be by far the most difficult test, and with the international break approaching, a positive result in Merseyside would be a tremendous lift for everyone involved.
While we are still missing key players due to injuries, we have proved that we can function without them as Unai Emery continues to find solutions. However, if we are to maintain our excellent ascent in recent weeks, we will need to put in a strong team effort this weekend.
Lenglet might replace Emi Martinez on the bench.
Emery revealed in his pre-match press conference on Friday that Jacob Ramsey, Bertrand Traore, Alex Moreno, and Tim Iroegbunam are still out and will not play.
It is hoped that they will return after the break to provide us with a vital boost at a critical time considering our schedule later this month, but the focus remains on one man in particular for Sunday’s match.
Emiliano Martinez trained on Friday morning as he continues his rehabilitation from a calf injury, but it’s unknown if he trained on Saturday to obtain the green light to be ready, so there will be an anxious wait until the starting XI is declared.
Martinez will return between the posts if he recovers in time, but if he is still out, Robin Olsen will no probably continue to deputize for him.
Given our outstanding performance in the Premier League last time out in a win away at Burnley, it’s unlikely that Emery would make any changes, having also had the benefit of being able to rotate and rest players in midweek against Hibernian.
Ezra Konsa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, and Lucas Digne might return to the back four, with Matty Cash playing a more forward role on the right side, with Douglas Luiz, Boubacar Kamara, and John McGinn to round out the midfield.
There appears to be no need to break up the Moussa Diaby and Ollie Watkins combo in the final third as the pair continues to impress and play crucial roles, therefore an unchanged lineup might be picked on Sunday.
Clement Lenglet completed his loan move from Barcelona on Friday, but it remains to be seen if he is fit to come right into the matchday squad and bolster our bench, as we need depth and competition across the squad, particularly in that specific area in Tyrone Mings’ absence.
It’s unlikely that the Frenchman will make his debut unless we’re holding on for a win and need to bolster our defensive ranks in the closing stages, but we should see more of Nicolo Zaniolo in this one, and Leander Dendoncker has now returned to training and played off the bench on Thursday night, so he’ll provide another important boost.
In terms of our lineup, consistency and familiarity could be essential for Villa this weekend, as we look to put up another strong performance and make a statement with a win at Anfield.
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