Credit: Imago

Matthew Chadder

Sat 3 May 2025 11:21, UK

Unai Emery has made a bold call on Pau Torres in his confirmed Aston Villa team to take on Fulham.

It has been a difficult few weeks for Villa, who were thrashed 3-0 by Crystal Palace at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final last time out (26 April).

In addition to this crushing defeat, Emery has also lost Marcus Rashford to injury and will be sweating over the future of Ollie Watkins.

However, for all of these struggles, Villa still have the chance to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League, with just three points separating them and fifth-placed Chelsea, who face a tough fixture against newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (4 May).

Therefore, Emery and his players will be keen to claim three points against Fulham at Villa Park on Saturday (3 May). However, a decision on Torres could prove costly in that pursuit.

Torres starts for Aston Villa v Fulham

Emery has made just one change from Wembley, with Ian Maatsen replacing Lucas Digne at left-back.

This means Torres keeps his place despite a difficult afternoon in London against Crystal Palace.

On paper, the centre-back’s performance didn’t look too bad, with Torres completing 92 per cent of his passes and winning four of his five aerial duels, while also making six clearances [Sofascore].

However, the 28-year-old also gave possession away seven times and provided just one accurate long ball from five attempts, and most importantly, made an error which led to a Palace goal.

As a result, Emery’s decision to stick by the defender against Marco Silva’s side is a bold one, especially with Tyrone Mings on the bench.

Emery will hope he doesn’t regret Torres decision

This game against Fulham is a big one, and the Cottagers are no pushovers. Therefore, Villa supporters will undoubtedly be feeling nervous after seeing Torres’ name on the teamsheet.

Emery’s side need three points to remain in contention for Champions League qualification.

As a result, Emery must hope his fellow countryman doesn’t let him down in defence.