Aston Villa: ‘Exceptional’ Douglas Luiz can win West Ham United battle alone after Ajax display
Aston Villa secured progression to the last eight of the Europa Conference League with a superb 4-0 aggregate win over Ajax.
The two clubs played out a goalless draw in the first leg in Amsterdam, with Unai Emery’s side running riot with a 4-0 victory in the return leg at Villa Park on Thursday (14 March).
But their attentions now turn back to Premier League football, with the Midlands club travelling to London to take on West Ham on Sunday (17 March).
Both clubs will have plenty of fatigued players at the London Stadium, with the Hammers having also been in action on Thursday as they smashed Freiburg 5-0 in the Europa League.
It certainly won’t be a straightforward clash for Villa, who know they need to massively up their game after losing their previous Premier League match 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur.
That heavy defeat proved costly in more ways than one, with Emery now without John McGinn at the London Stadium after his red card against Spurs.
And with Boubacar Kamara out with a long-term injury, it means there is plenty of pressure on midfield ace Douglas Luiz.
Can Douglas Luiz help Aston Villa overcome West Ham?
But the Brazilian has more than enough ability to come out on top in the midfield battle against the Hammers, with Luiz enjoying an “exceptional” season, according to Adrian Clarke [official Premier League website, 15 March].
He was very impressive despite the Tottenham defeat, with the Brazil ace running a team-high 11.55km, at an average speed of 6.85km/h, the fastest by any Villa player [official Premier League website, 15 March].
The midfielder followed that up with another masterclass against Ajax, with Luiz winning both of his duels (100%), as well as making four key passes, more than any other player on the pitch [Sofascore].
The 25-year-old clinched two assists in the Villa Park rout, with his goal involvements now sitting at 20 this season, with 10 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.
In the Premier League alone, no midfielder has been directly involved in more goals than the Villa ace this season (14), as per WhoScored (15 March).
In other Aston Villa news, a former Villa Park employee has mooted a senior star exit, with an Arsenal transfer claim made.
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