Unai Emery to axe Alex Moreno in two changes – Aston Villa predicted XI v Ajax
Unai Emery could axe Alex Moreno from the starting lineup for the Aston Villa game against Ajax on Thursday (7 March).
The 30-year-old started in the 3-2 victory over Luton Town on 2 March, but his replacement Lucas Digne came on and scored the winner for Villa.
That goal could be enough to earn the French international a place in the lineup as the Villans look to gain the edge in the Europa Conference League last-16 tie in Amsterdam.
While Emery will be tempted to freshen things up, he doesn’t currently have too many options available to him due to the injury situation, meaning just two changes are predicted for the clash.
Emi Martinez is expected to start in goal and the Argentine keeper will be hoping to register a clean sheet after failing to record a shut-out in his past five outings.
After putting in a decent performance against Luton, where he made four tackles, two blocks and cleared one effort off the line [SofaScore], Matty Cash is likely to keep his place at right-back.
Ezri Konsa could get the nod again at centre-back after returning to the lineup against the Hatters, having won three out of his four duels and recorded a 100 per cent pass success rate.
With Pau Torres potentially being saved for the clash against Tottenham on 10 March, Clement Lenglet could be set for another start after winning two of his three aerial duels against a physical Luton side.
Having provided an impact off the bench, Digne is predicted to return to the starting lineup in place of Moreno, who failed to win a duel in the air at the weekend, while his fellow left-back scored the winner with his head.
With options limited in central midfield following the injury suffered by Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn is likely to start in a deeper role again after making two key passes last time out.
He is expected to be joined by Douglas Luiz, who put in another strong performance at Kenilworth Road, where he registered his eighth assist of the season.
Despite struggling to make an impression against Luton, having recorded just a 69 per cent pass accuracy, Youri Tielemans may be handed another opportunity in attacking midfield to impress due to the lack of alternatives.
Leon Bailey is likely to start on the right-hand side of the attack after registering an assist against the Hatters to take his tally to 22 goal contributions for the campaign.
With Jacob Ramsey likely to miss the trip to Amsterdam after picking up an injury on Saturday, Moussa Diaby could be in line for a start after setting up Digne with an inch-perfect cross for the winner.
Ollie Watkins is expected to lead the line for Villa as he is the only fit senior striker at this moment in time and he will be hoping to add to his impressive goal record this season, having scored with two of his five shots last time out.
In other Aston Villa news, a journalist has shared the likelihood of Emery joining Liverpool.
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.