Unai Emery can shock Aston Villa fans at 1:45pm with start for ‘fantastic’ ace vs Everton
Unai Emery has a selection dilemma on his hands as Aston Villa prepare to face Everton on Saturday.
Villa are set for a clash against Everton in their first ever trip to the new Hill Dickinson Stadium, in the hope of securing a first win of the season away from Villa Park.
This could see Jadon Sancho make his Villa debut at Everton, after signing for the Villans on deadline day alongside Harvey Elliott and Victor Lindelof.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what starting 11 Emery opts to go with against a David Moyes side that has won three on the bounce in all competitions.
There is a chance that the Spanish head coach could be in line to surprise the claret and blue faithful with a controversial selection on Merseyside.
Emi Buendia could start for Aston Villa vs Everton
There is no getting away from the fact that Villa’s performance in the 3-0 defeat against Crystal Palace was terrible from start to finish.
A lack of quality, creativity and cutting edge was on show despite the likes of Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Donyell Malen and Evann Guessand starting in B6.
As a result, the Villa Park faithful showcased their annoyance throughout the match, as the atmosphere became somewhat toxic.
Despite this, there was one positive note as Buendia managed to make a positive impression as a substitute despite not registering a goal or an assist.
| Stat vs Crystal Palace | Emi Buendia |
| Minutes played | 45 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Chances created | 3 |
| Defensive contributions | 7 |
| Duels won | 6 |
The Argentine was keen to get on the ball and make things happen, something that could see Emery trust in him against the Toffees in place of Malen on the right flank.
This could prove to be wise as the attacking midfielder has previous for scoring winning goals away to Everton, doing so with a deft header back in January 2022.
Emi Buendia has the backing of Unai Emery
Despite spending the second half of last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, there is no lack of desire for the 28-year-old to succeed in the Midlands.
This is the case as injury issues have generally halted the former Norwich City man from making any sort of positive progress in claret and blue.
Emery has already showcased his willingness to have Buendia back among the first-team on a regular basis, something which could stand him in good stead this campaign.
In pre-season last year, as per BBC Sport, the Villa boss said: “We are happy with [Buendia’s] return and we have to work now with him trying to get the best of him progressively.
“The first 30 minutes he played [against Columbus Crew], really, is fantastic for us and for the team.”
With this backing from the Spaniard, there is every chance that Villa’s number 10 could start and have a telling impact at the Hill Dickinson.
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