Emery forced into two changes in big Leon Bailey call – Aston Villa predicted XI v Fulham
Unai Emery may be forced into starting Leon Bailey despite a string of poor performances as Aston Villa travel to face Fulham on Saturday 19 October.
The Villans will be eager to get three points on the board in the Premier League after drawing their last two games against Ipswich Town and Manchester United.
Emery made three changes from the Bayern Munich win against the Red Devils but could be forced into two further changes with the likes of Jaden Philogene and Ezri Konsa potentially missing the clash at Craven Cottage.
With that being said, Emi Martinez is likely to keep his role in the starting XI after having a rest during the international break after missing out on the Argentina squad due to a ban. Against United, the keeper made four saves [FotMob] and is certainly deserving of keeping his role.
The backline is likely to feature at least one change with Diego Carlos set to come back into the starting XI for the injured Konsa. The Brazilian could line up alongside Matty Cash, Pau Torres and Lucas Digne with the latter coming off the back of providing an assist for France.
In front of them, there is a chance that Amadou Onana remains out injured which could see Ross Barkley keep his role after registering 52 touches and 100 per cent dribble success at Villa Park last time out. He could join Youri Tielemans in the heart of midfield once again.
Leon Bailey lucky to keep Aston Villa starting role v Fulham
In a change outside, Philogene could drop out through injury with Morgan Rogers stepping into his role despite a 0 per cent shot accuracy against Erik Ten Hag’s side. On the opposite flank, Leon Bailey will start and will be hoping for a better dribble success rate than 33 per cent against the Cottagers.
Emery has a decision to make in the front line but the Spaniard could finally hand a league start to Duran after grabbing a goal for Colombia during the break. He managed 78 per cent pass accuracy at Villa Park while struggling to forge any chances with just five touches in the opposition penalty area.
Alongside him is likely to be Ollie Watkins after grabbing an assist for England despite being handed very limited minutes. After no successful shots or dribbles against United, it will be interesting to see how he performs against Fulham in his return to Premier League action.
In other Aston Villa news, one star has to be wary of this Fulham ace after what he did during the international break.
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.