Emery axes Mings in four changes – Aston Villa predicted XI v West Ham
Unai Emery could drop Tyrone Mings from the Aston Villa starting XI as part of four changes to face West Ham in the FA Cup on Friday.
The Villans welcome the East London outfit to Villa Park on 10 January and could hand Sil Swinkels a second first-team start of the season in place of the England international.
With the Premier League in mind, Emery could also opt to drop the likes of Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans to the bench while John McGinn will miss the clash due to injury.
This could see Ian Maatsen, Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers come in from the start to face the Hammers with a view to earning a spot in the fourth round of the cup.
Aston Villa could make four changes v West Ham
Although Joe Gauci or Robin Olsen may be keen to start this clash, if Villa are taking this competition seriously, Martinez could keep his place in goal. The Argentina star made one save against Leicester City last time out [FotMob] and will be keen to finally keep a clean sheet.
Ahead of him, Cash and Konsa may keep their places in the side with the latter maintaining a 96 per cent pass accuracy while winning 100 per cent of duels against the Foxes.
There could be an opportunity for Swinkels to come into the starting XI to replace Mings who completed just 42 per cent of long balls in his last start. Maatsen could also start after grabbing an assist in his 14-minute cameo at Villa Park last week.
Boubacar Kamara and Ross Barkley could also be confident of remaining in the side against the Hammers. The Englishman scored and also completed three dribbles and nine duels against Leicester, proving his worth to Emery.
Ahead of them, Buendia could be set to make another start in a cup competition while Rogers could come back in after his suspension.
Leon Bailey could remain in the starting XI after his goal against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side. This capped off a performance where the Jamaica international had a 100 per cent shot accuracy.
Ollie Watkins is likely to start again while Jhon Duran is missing through suspension. The Englishman struggled against Leicester as he failed to register a shot on target or successful dribble. He remains the only available striker to Emery and as a result, could start again.
In other Aston Villa news, goalkeeper exit talks have now begun with a former club.
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.