Anthony Onifade

Thu 4 January 2024 11:10, UK

Unai Emery could be set to make three changes as Aston Villa prepare to take on Middlesbrough in the FA Cup third round at the Riverside Stadium (6 January).

The Premier League takes a break this coming weekend as the FA Cup fixtures come round and Emery will be hoping to build on from their 3-2 win over Burnley (30 December) at Villa Park when they take on Michael Carrick’s men on Teeside.

Aston Villa will be feeling hugely relieved by the seven-day break after they looked a bit leggy during the encounter with the Clarets and it seems as if Emery will not be resting on his laurels as they take on a dangerous Middlesbrough side this Saturday.

Villa fans will be demanding an exciting FA Cup run and that will force the Spaniard to name a strong line-up from the off at the Riverside which means he could make as many as three changes to the side which triumphed over Burnley.

Boubacar Kamara served the last game of his suspension against Vincent Kompany’s men so will be gearing up for a start in midfield alongside Douglas Luiz.

Tyrone Mings, Youri Tielemas and Bertrand Traore are all set to continue their stays on the sidelines, with Lucas Digne joining them out with a hamstring injury sustained against Manchester United.

Emiliano Martinez is expected to keep his usual spot in goal despite a rather underwhelming display against Burnley, recording a worrying -0.66 goals prevented from three saves [SofaScore].

In defence, Emery will look to ring the changes and axe defensive duds Clement Lenglet and Diego Carlos after their disappointing displays against Burnley, with both players failing to register a single tackle, interception or block as the Burnley attackers ran rings around them.

The Spaniard will likely pair both Ezri Konsa with his trusted defensive partner in Torres while Matty Cash returns back from oblivion after missing the Burnley game with a suspected illness to take his place at right back.

And this could be a critical game for the Pole who has been on and off all season long which has ultimately led to Emery axing him in favour of Konsa at right-back.

As per SofaScore, Cash was again handed the worst average rating of any Aston Villa player to start the game against Brentford (17 December) at 6.4/10, completing zero per cent of his crosses, and long balls and winning 50 per cent of his total duels.

The former Nottingham Forest defender also failed to register a single key pass, lost possession of the ball 12 times and won just one tackle before being hooked off after 65 minutes.

Emery may well be looking to find another right-back in the January transfer window but this may be Cash’s chance to prove he should be undisputed number one in the role.

At left-back, Alex Moreno should keep his place with Digne out injured.

In midfield, Emery could certainly ring the changes again with Jacob Ramsey also axed after a wasteful display against the Clarets, where he missed a big chance and failed to set the Villa Park stadium alight as he so regularly does.

Ramsey did record two key passes and won five of his nine duel attempts but given the threat Middlesbrough poses, McGinn should return to his auxiliary position on the left flank sitting alongside Kamara and Luiz in midfield.

While Emery is likely to go strong with his line-up on Saturday, he may well choose to rest Leon Bailey and bring Moussa Diaby back out wide. The Frenchman enjoyed a stunning display against Burnley, scoring his fourth league goal of the campaign.

In attack, the Spaniard could recall Nicolo Zaniolo for his first start since the Europa Conference League clash with Zrinjski Mostar (14 December) and his display in Bosnia that night certainly showed a player finally finding his feet.

The former Roma attacker scored his first goal for the club in the 1-1 draw that sealed their place in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League but it was his all-round display that will have impressed his manager.

His 100 per cent long-ball accuracy was supported by four attempted crosses, three shots on target and seven attempted dribbles which showed how he looked to make things happen in the final third, also registering two key passes. [Sofascore].

The Italian international will likely partner Ollie Watkins up front after his sensational contribution against Burnley, recording two assists from three key passes, winning four of his seven total duels and creating one big chance.

Jhon Duran will certainly be knocking on Emery’s door for a start in this match, given the noise surrounding his Aston Villa future right now (Gianluca Di Marzio, 2 January) but with Emery picking a strong team, Watkins certainly cannot be ignored with the form he’s currently in.

In other Aston Villa news, a broadcaster has shared something the Villa players must stop after an FA development has emerged.