Unai Emery makes Ian Maatsen mistake in confirmed Aston Villa XI v Ipswich
Unai Emery has named his Aston Villa starting XI for the Premier League clash against Ipswich Town on Sunday 29 September.
The Villans will be keen to return to Premier League action with three points after winning five games on the bounce in all competitions.
Last time out in the league, Emery’s side secured a comeback victory against local rivals Wolves thanks to goals from Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Jhon Duran.
They are now preparing for a clash at Portman Road against a newly promoted side who are yet to secure their first win of the campaign.
Villa have confirmed their starting lineup via the club’s official X account (29 September) with it being a slight surprise to see Lucas Digne starting ahead of Ian Maatsen.
Ian Maatsen starts/dropped for Aston Villa against Ipswich Town
The summer signing came into the starting XI against Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup and performed well as Villa secured a hard-fought win.
Before being taken off in the 90th minute, the 22-year-old registered 78 touches and completed 58 passes with a 94% pass accuracy throughout [FotMob].
Maatsen will have been disappointed to register no successful dribbles or crosses on the night against the League One outfit.
It has to be said that the ex-Chelsea man made a difference against Wolves as he made two clearances and a recovery while getting forward with two passes into the final third and one accurate long ball [FotMob].
Digne was hooked at half time against Gary O’Neil’s side after an uninspiring first-half performance at Villa Park.
This saw him lose three duels, fail to win a single tackle or complete a cross or long ball throughout his 45-minute showing.
With that being said, it would have been a positive change to see Maatsen come in to the starting XI in the Premier League.
In other Aston Villa news, a transfer mission has started to try and sign a ‘dazzling’ League One ace.
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