Aston Villa v Wolves confirmed XI: Unai Emery makes Jhon Duran call
Unai Emery has named his Aston Villa starting line-up to face Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday (21 September).
The Villans host their local rivals at Villa Park with the aim of making it four victories in a row in all competitions.
As confirmed by the club’s official X account [21 September], Emery again opted to name Duran among his substitutes, with Ollie Watkins leading the line.
The only change from the midweek Champions League win over Young Boys sees Diego Carlos come in for Lamar Bogarde, with Ezri Konsa seemingly moving across to right-back.
Ollie Watkins to lead Aston Villa line v Wolves
All four of Duran’s appearances in the Premier League this season have come as a substitute, totalling just 103 minutes on the field [WhoScored].
For context, 12 Villa players have featured more often this season in the league, yet Duran has made as big an impact as anyone.
Indeed, the Colombian has scored three goals across those 103 minutes at an average of 2.5 per 90, which is the best of any player in the Premier League [FBref].
Those three goals have come from an expected goals (xG) return of 1.0, meanwhile, which highlights his ability to score goals from little.
Duran has also been a menace in the air, winning 64 per cent of his aerial duels [Sofascore], while also completing 100 per cent of the passes he has attempted in his own half.
He was surely deserving of a place in the XI given the quick turnaround in matches, but let’s hope it is not a decision Emery lives to regret.
Watkins will instead lead the line, though, and his record is also enough to boast about after a slow start as he is averaging 0.67 goals per 90 in the league this term.
Elsewhere, Lucas Digne plays his 40th Premier League game for Villa on home soil and Youri Tielemans plays his 20th, as per Aston Villa Statto on X [21 September].
Bogarde struggled against Young Boys, registering a zero per cent accuracy rate with his long passes, and was always expected to make way.
In other Aston Villa news, a pundit has held his hands up over a comment made about a Villa player.
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.