Aston Villa predicted XI vs Feyenoord – John McGinn to be left out as fringe player comes in
Unai Emery is expected to make a small number of changes to his Aston Villa side when they take on Feyenoord in the Europa League on Thursday.
Villa beat Bologna 1-0 in their first group stage game of the competition last week, with John McGinn‘s first-half strike proving the difference between the sides.
Issues remained for the Villans, with Marco Bizot required to deny the Serie A side an equaliser in the final seconds, but it was victory for the first time this season nonetheless.
And Villa beat Fulham 3-1 on Sunday in the Premier League, to mark what was a week of recovery at Villa Park.
Emery remains under huge pressure at Villa, but the Spaniard can make it three wins from three on Thursday.
Unai Emery to refrain from wholesale changes vs Feyenoord
Given the importance of momentum for Emery‘s side, the Spaniard is likely to refrain from making too many changes to the team that won on Sunday.
But good form should be rewarded, with Emi Buendia’s performance against Fulham likely to earn him a start against Feyenoord.
The midfielder came on at half-time and provided an instant impact, bagging an assist for McGinn’s goal before getting on the scoresheet himself just two minutes later.
Indeed, Buendia also registered an 83 per cent pass accuracy, which was bettered by only three others who played at least half the game.
It was only the second time Buendia has both scored and provided an assist in the same Premier League match, having previous done so against Burnley in May 2022.
| Emi Buendia | Vs Fulham (H) |
| Minutes played | 45 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Shots | 2 |
| Recoveries | 3 |
| Passes into final third | 4 |
It was also a positive day for Morgan Rogers, who registered his first direct goal contribution of the season by assisting the Argentine, and the midfielder is expected to keep his place.
In a further injury blow, however, Tyrone Mings was forced off after just 32 minutes, and will likely be replaced by Pau Torres in the team to take on Feyenoord.
McGinn was also injured against Fulham, but the Scot has said that he could be fit for Thursday’s game. Emery, however, may elect against risking his captain, and instead start Lamare Bogarde and Boubacar Kamara.
- Read more: Feyenoord vs Aston Villa: Three stars who have played for both ahead of Europa League clash
Ian Maatsen could also come in to replace Lucas Digne, whilst Evann Guessand‘s strong performance should see him retain his spot.
Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers to return to form
The form of both Ollie Watkins and Rogers has been a serious area of concern for Emery this season.
Both players were crucial to Villa’s form last season, and their failure to recapture that form so far has weighed heavily on the Villans.
Sunday’s game displayed positive signs from Rogers and Watkins, however, and Emery will hope Thursday’s game can provide a platform to continue that revival.
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