Unai Emery axes Ian Maatsen in two changes – Aston Villa predicted XI v Juventus
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery could make a couple of changes to his starting line-up for the Champions League clash with Juventus on Wednesday.
The Villans have failed to win their last six matches in all competitions since the 2-0 victory over Bologna on 22 October.
They could have been the first ever team to win their first four Champions League games without conceding a goal but lost 1-0 to Club Brugge in their last European outing on 6 November.
Ian Maatsen and Lamare Bogarde could well lose their spots in the starting XI after poor performances in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday (23 November).
The clash should come too soon for Jacob Ramsey, meanwhile, with Amadou Onana, Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara also expected to be ruled out of the Villa Park contest.
Emi Martinez is in line to keep his place in goal for Villa’s hardest European test so far this season. The Argentine made four saves against Palace and had a 94 per cent passing accuracy, finding a team-mate from 31 of his 33 attempts. [Fotmob]
Full-backs should lose Aston Villa starting places v Juventus
Bogarde played at right-back during Saturday’s draw but he was dragged off just after half-time after a dismal performance, as he could have done better for the second Eagles goal. The 20-year-old attempted zero tackles and made no defensive actions, while he had a 67 per cent success rate for ground duels.
On the other side, Maatsen did not fair much better, making just two defensive actions and winning only 33 per cent of his ground duels. From an attacking perspective, both full-backs generated 0.07xG combined.
At the heart of the defence, Diego Carlos and Pau Torres look set to continue their partnership despite a dismal 33 per cent ground duel win rate for the Brazilian and an average 50 per cent success for the Spaniard last time out.
The midfield could well be unchanged from the Premier League clash on Saturday, with John McGinn, Ross Barkley and Youri Tielemans all impressing despite the disappointing result.
The Scottish international had a good game as he had three shots, created three chances and made six passes into the final third, while defensively he made three recoveries and won 59 per cent of his ground duels.
The Englishman scored the equaliser, had four touches in the opposition box and made five passes into the final third, as well as making three recoveries and winning 100 per cent of his four ground duels.
Tielemans did miss a penalty but bagged an assist for the equaliser, created three chances in total and made 16 passes into the final third in a good game all-around.
The forward line should remain the same, with Leon Bailey and Morgan Rodgers on the wings and Ollie Watkins spearheading the unit after his goal in the win against Palace, in which he had 12 touches in the opposition box, created 1.30xG and completed 82 per cent of his 11 pass attempts.
In other Aston Villa news, a deal is being eyed for one star as PSV have revealed the transfer fee they will demand.
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