Dan Bardell relays speculation he’s heard about Aston Villa starting XI v Arsenal
Tim Iroegbunam could come in alongside John McGinn for Aston Villa in place of the suspended Douglas Luiz against Arsenal, according to Dan Bardell.
Villa return to Premier League action on Sunday (14 April) as they continue their bid to qualify for the Champions League at the Emirates.
On Thursday, Unai Emery’s side secured a 2-1 Conference League quarter-final win against Lille thanks to goals from McGinn and Ollie Watkins.
Moving back to domestic football, changes may be made to combat tiredness. Bardell knows changes are needed but not a luxury in the Villa squad right now.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bardell said: “There’s only so many changes that we can make at the moment. I don’t think he’ll do what he did against Manchester City and throw people like Zaniolo and Duran in, I just don’t think he’ll do that again. I think there’s personal pride going into this game against his old team. He’ll want to go back to the Emirates and make a statement because he’s still hurt by what happened to him at Arsenal. It’s a big game for Emery and it’s a big game for Villa as well.
“I think it will be a similar team to what we saw on Thursday (11 April) with the exception of Douglas Luiz is going to have to come out. There’s been some speculation about Iroegbunam coming in alongside McGinn in central midfield to offer those legs and Tielemans goes in the number 10. It would suit Tim better playing in this kind of tie as one of the deep midfielders but I guess it will be Diaby and Watkins up top.”
Should Tim Iroegbunam start for Aston Villa v Arsenal?
There is no way around it, Villa have to make at least one change against the Gunners with Luiz being suspended for the next two matches.
This will leave Emery with a decision to make against his former side as to who to bring in, in place of the Brazilian star.
Diaby could come in and see Tielemans drop back into midfield alongside McGinn to form a more offensive and combative midfield duo.
With that being said, given the quality that the Gunners possess bringing in a defensive-minded option could be beneficial to begin the game at least.
Iroegbunam came in against Manchester City and despite conceding four goals, he performed well, especially with the ball at his feet.
Alongside some experienced names in the heart of the Villa side, he could slot in to provide some additional midfield cover.
It is going to be a tough clash away against the title-chasing side but opting for a defensive mindset could be beneficial.
In other Aston Villa news, Goodman has had his say on the speculation linking the Villans with one of their former players.
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