Jonty Banks

Wed 10 May 2023 12:10, UK

Unai Emery is expected to make changes to his Aston Villa starting lineup for the Premier League clash against Spurs at Villa Park this weekend (13 May).

The Villans’ European hopes took a massive dent after their uninspiring 1-0 defeat to Wolves last weekend, with close rivals Liverpool and Spurs adding insult to injury by picking up three points a piece.

Aston Villa currently sit 8th in the Premier League and three points off their opponents in 6th place with just three games of the season remaining.

In goal, Emi Martinez is expected to keep his spot in the team after a quietish game in the midlands derby, which saw him make just a single save but complete 92% of his passes. [Sofascore]

In front of the Argentine, Emery will be tempted to make a couple of alterations but should stick with the back-four who have become regular starters in recent weeks.

Injury expert Ben Dinnery shared that Matty Cash is at 75% fitness ahead of the clash, so he will probably need at least one cameo appearance before being deemed fit enough to start.

Ashley Young is expected to start at right-back, while Alex Moreno, who has delivered a team-high 21 key passes since his arrival in January, will be tasked with offering an attacking outlet down the left flank.

In the heart of the defence, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa will continue their burgeoning partnership that has resulted in seven clean sheets in their last 12 Premier League outings.

In midfield, Boubacar Kamara will likely be drafted straight back into the starting line-up after an injury layoff which has meant he hasn’t started a match since the 1-0 win against Chelsea on 1 April.

The Frenchman will add some much-needed defensive security against the clever movement of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, with the Villa man sitting in the 92nd percentile for midfielders over the last year for blocks (1.80 per 90) whilst also being in the top 25% of his European counterparts for tackles (2.57 per 90) and clearances (1.49 per 90). [FBREF]

Jacob Ramsey is the unfortunate player who misses out on the starting line-up, with John McGinn resuming on the left-hand side of midfield.

Douglas Luiz is likely to remain in the middle of the park, while Emi Buendia, who delivered two key passes and won seven out of his nine ground duels against Wolves, can be trusted with the defensive responsibilities on the right of the midfield four.

After his extremely disappointing 45-minute showing last week, Bertrand Traore is expected to be dropped by Emery. The Burkina Faso international managed to accumulate an expected assists total of just 0.03 during his performance and should be replaced by Leon Bailey on the right wing.

Ollie Watkins, who scored 11 goals from 13 games before his current four-match drought, will likely continue at the tip of Emery’s attack, with Jhon Duran waiting in the wings to make an impact from the bench in the latter stages of the match.

In other Aston Villa news, the club should go all guns blazing for a £60million signing that Gabby Agbonlahor named a “superstar”.