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Aston Villa could thrash Luton Town if Unai Emery sticks with Leon Bailey after European heroics
Aston Villa have a great chance of recording another stunning victory on Sunday against Luton Town (29 October) if Unai Emery sticks with in-form Leon Bailey.
Aston Villa will be looking to strengthen their hold of fifth position in the Premier League standings when they play host to the Hatters on Sunday afternoon at Villa Park.
Villa showed their superior ruthlessness and class, surging to a 4-1 victory against West Ham United last weekend, and followed that up with a similar masterclass at the AFAS Stadium to easily dispatch of high-flying AZ Alkmaar on Thursday (26 October).
In fact, the Villans have been lethal in front of goal recently. Since 30 September, the Villans have notched a whopping 16 goals in all competitions [SofaScore], and they are currently the second-highest scorers in the Premier League with 23 goals, only behind Newcastle (24).
The omens certainly don’t look good for visiting Luton Town who visit a ground where Aston Villa have won 11 games on the bounce under Emery’s stewardship and there’s a great chance the Villans can make it 12 with a resounding win if Emery sticks with the on-song and “amazing” Jamaican international Bailey.
The former Bayer Leverkusen man has been in stunning form in recent weeks in all competitions, registering three goals in his last three games for both club and country.
The 26-year-old came off the bench to score a stunning goal against the Hammers last weekend, and he followed that up with another superb strike against AZ to make it six goals so far this season.
Emery made the decision to start both Nicolo Zaniolo and Moussa Diaby last weekend but the former failed to convince yet again despite a much-improved showing.
Bailey only needed a few minutes after arriving on the scene against the Hammers to make an instant impact.
The 26-year has certainly struggled with inconsistency for much of his Villa Park career but so far this season into a different beast this term, however, and has registered nine goal involvements (6G/3A) in eleven games, despite being restricted to just 681 minutes.
In fact, over the past 365 days, Bailey ranks incredibly well for forwards in key attacking and chance-creation metrics ranking in the 98th percentile for progressive carries per 90, 93rd percentile for successful take-ons, 88th percentile for shot-creating actions and in the 98th percentile again for expected assisted goals (xAG) (FBRef).
He was incredibly influential in the famous European win in midweek, creating one big chance, one key pass and recording two shots on target against AZ (SofaScore) and Emery must provide him with the chance to wreak havoc again on Sunday.
Should the Jamaican star start, the Villans could well considerably improve on that 23-goal haul once again.
In other Aston Villa news, a Villa youngster could be one to watch following his “exceptional” progress.