Unai Emery faces dilemma as early Aston Villa team news emerges for Carabao Cup clash vs Brentford
Unai Emery has a stripped squad available for Aston Villa’s Carabao Cup tie with Brentford.
Villa haven’t made it past the fourth round of the Carabao Cup since 2019, but will be hoping to gain some momentum against the Bees.
Harvey Elliott could make his first Aston Villa start against Keith Andrews’ side on Tuesday, having played just 20 minutes in the 0-0 draw with Everton.
Unai Emery’s side have already lost 1-0 to Brentford this season, and the Spaniard faces an uphill task to get his revenge with the Villans’ midfield wearing thin.
Youri Tielemans the latest to be ruled out vs Brentford
Villa could be without five midfielders for their clash with Brentford.
Things have yet to go their way this season as they remain the only side in England’s top seven leagues yet to score a goal.
Boubacar Kamara picked up another injury against Newcastle last month and is expected to now be joined by Youri Tielemans on the sidelines.
Following the draw with Everton, Emery said that the Belgium international “is going to be out for some matches.”
Aston Villa issues in midfield:
- Amadou Onana (Hamstring)
- Ross Barkley (Personal issues)
- Boubacar Kamara (Hamstring)
The 28-year-old was replaced by Evann Guessand at half-time after picking up a knock.
It appears that a return to action straight away was too much for Tielemans, who is also expected to miss the visit to Sunderland.
Lamare Bogarde and John McGinn to start vs Brentford
Lamare Bogarde was excellent in the draw with Everton and won 75 per cent of his duels against the Toffees.
He could be given the chance to impress again for the Bees alongside captain John McGinn.
The pair are Villa’s only fit senior options in the middle of the park, and if they perform like they did at the weekend, Emery will have a good chance of earning his first win of the season.
With Bogarde and McGinn playing so many games in succession, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some youngsters given a go from the bench as well.
18-year-old prospect George Hemmings could feature after training with the first team multiple times and impressing in the youth setup.
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