Aston Villa v Ipswich preview: team news, lineups, betting odds, prediction
Aston Villa return to Premier League action on Saturday as relegation-threatened Ipswich Town travel to Villa Park.
The Villans will be hoping to maintain their high level performance after securing a 2-1 win against Tottenham in the FA Cup on Sunday (9 February).
Goals from Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rogers were enough to take up a place in the fifth round for the first time since 2015.
Unai Emery will be hoping to continue this form against the Tractor Boys, especially after losing to Wolves last time out in the Premier League.
Preview
The result against Spurs was excellent and was only bettered by the performance, which deserved more goals than the two scored.
The starters like Donyell Malen and Leon Bailey impressed despite not getting on the scoresheet themselves.
Their replacements Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford also caught the eye and will be hoping to feature in the Premier League this weekend.
This may prove to be somewhat difficult against Kieran McKenna’s side who will be desperate to secure some much-needed points after a difficult run of form.
The likes of Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson will certainly cause problems for the Villa backline which features just one fit centre-back in Axel Disasi.
Form Guide [all competitions]
Aston Villa: WLWDL
Ipswich Town: WLLLL
Team News
The Villans’ defensive injury issues have been well-documented and have only gotten worse after Ezri Konsa was forced off against Spurs.
The England international will now join Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings and Matty Cash on the sidelines while Ross Barkley remains doubtful.
This will likely force Axel Disasi into making his debut alongside either Boubacar Kamara or Lamare Bogarde who starred at Villa Park last time out.
The Tractor Boys aren’t without their own issues with both Chiedozie Ogbene and Wes Burns set to be ruled out for the rest of the season through injury.
This duo are joined by Sammie Szmodics, Christopher Walton and Connor Chaplin who all look set to be absent for the trip to the West Midlands.
Predicted lineups
Aston Villa: Martinez, Garcia, Disasi, Kamara, Digne, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Bailey, Ramsey, Malen
Ipswich Town: Palmer, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davies, Morsy, Cajuste, Enciso, Philogene, Hutchinson, Delap
Betting Odds
Aston Villa: 21/50
Draw: 10/3
Ipswich Town: 13/2
(All odds according to bet365, 12 February)
Prediction: Aston Villa 3-1 Ipswich Town
Emery will be desperate to turn a corner this season and utilise the positivity from the Tottenham result to push his side forward for the rest of the campaign.
The forward options at the disposal of the Spaniard in B6 are superb and will cause problems for any side in the entire Premier League.
As a result, it is safe to assume that the home side will play on the front foot and look to take advantage of a shaky Tractor Boys back line.
With that being said, McKenna’s men will also want to get the better of a make-shift Villa defence which features just one fit, recognised centre-back.
Ipswich may score one but Villa’s attacking power may prove to be too much for them.