Unai Emery to axe Jhon Duran in three changes – Aston Villa predicted XI v Wolves
Unai Emery could be set to axe Jhon Duran from his starting lineup for the Aston Villa game against Wolves on Saturday (28 March).
The Villa boss handed the Colombian international an opportunity to impress from the start against West Ham on 17 March, but he was hauled off at half-time following a less-than-impressive display.
The 20-year-old forward was replaced by French winger Moussa Diaby, who set up Nicolo Zaniolo to score the equalising goal in the 1-1 draw at the London Stadium.
Emery doesn’t have too many options at his disposal to change the side significantly, with three alterations predicted for the West Midlands derby at Villa Park.
Emi Martinez is expected to once again start in goal after putting in yet another excellent performance against West Ham, where he made three saves and recorded a 93 per cent pass success rate [SofaScore].
After making his England debut against Brazil, Ezri Konsa is likely to get the nod on the right-hand side of the defence after winning all six of his duels in the draw in East London.
Clement Lenglet struggled a bit against the Hammers and was hauled off at half-time after making an error that led to Michail Antonio’s goal, meaning he could be replaced by Diego Carlos at centre-back.
The Brazilian is likely to be partnered by Pau Torres, who got on the ball plenty of times – recording 97 touches – and registered an 89 per cent pass accuracy at the London Stadium.
Alex Moreno is under pressure from Lucas Digne, but the left-back may keep his place in the starting lineup after making one block, one tackle and two clearances last time out.
Youri Tielemans to get Aston Villa nod again after Belgium display
With John McGinn still suspended, Douglas Luiz, who made one key pass against West Ham, is expected to be partnered in midfield by Youri Tielemans on the back of his superb performance for Belgium against England.
Leon Bailey is likely to maintain his place on the right-hand side of the attack after making three key passes and successfully completing all five of his attempted dribbles.
Emery could be tempted to hand Zaniolo a chance to impress ahead of Morgan Rogers on the left after getting on the scoresheet against the Hammers with his only shot of the game.
Duran did little to show he deserves to keep his place, having failed to complete his one attempted dribble for a zero per cent success rate as he had just 13 touches of the ball, meaning Diaby could get the nod ahead of him in an advanced attacking role.
Ollie Watkins is predicted to lead the line and he’ll be looking to be more involved against Wolves after registering just 26 touches and one shot on target last time out.
In other Aston Villa news, a broadcaster has shared the likelihood of Villa making a £64million double signing.
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