Unai Emery must start Douglas Luiz against Chelsea in Aston Villa team news update
Unai Emery should throw Douglas Luiz straight back into the Aston Villa starting line-up against Chelsea, with the midfielder available again following a two-match ban.
The Brazilian picked up his 10th Premier League yellow card of the season in the 3-3 draw with Brentford on 6 April, forcing him to miss the subsequent league outings against Arsenal and Bournemouth.
Villa were able to secure victory in both those matches – but Emery should still bring Luiz back into the side against the Blues nonetheless.
Douglas Luiz offers a unique skillset at Aston Villa
There is no player in the Villa squad quite like Luiz.
He ranks third among his teammates for both goals and assists across all competitions this season, finding the back of the net 10 times and creating 10 more – only Leon Bailey and talismanic striker Ollie Watkins can better either of those tallies [Transfermarkt].
The midfielder’s status as the side’s first-choice penalty taker – scoring four times in the Premier League from the spot – has boosted his goal threat [FotMob].
Meanwhile, his heavy involvement from free-kicks and corners lifts his likelihood of recording assists. The 25-year-old has averaged – per 90 in the Premier League – 0.14 penalties, 3.82 passes from free-kicks and 3.21 corner kicks [FBref].
However, Luiz is far from just a dead-ball specialist.
He also acts as a playmaking hub from deep. Despite completing a high number of long balls – 96, to be exact – he still posts a strong overall passing accuracy of 89.5% [FotMob].
As well as the team have performed in his absence, there is always room for a player of Luiz’s quality in the starting line-up.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery has received a “huge” boost ahead of the clash.
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