Tammy Abraham starts as Unai Emery axes dud – Aston Villa predicted XI vs Brentford
Aston Villa will look to continue their winning ways as they host Brentford in a Premier League clash on Sunday.
Unai Emery has led the Villans to a dominant run recently, despite things looking a little pear-shaped at the start of the season.
Villa are still within contention in a push for the Premier League title, with Emery’s side now sitting four points behind league leaders Arsenal heading into game week 24.
The Villans have won 16 out of their last 20 games as Brentford comes to Villa Park looking to snap their two-game losing streak.
Aston Villa beat RB Salzburg 3-2 midweek, and Emery is expected to make a couple of exciting changes for the showdown with the Bees.
What changes will Unai Emery make vs Brentford?
Evann Guessand has now left Villa after joining Crystal Palace on loan until the end of the season, with Jadon Sancho now poised for a more prominent role until the end of the campaign.
Harvey Elliott started against Salzburg on Thursday, but Emery once again confirmed his stance hasn’t changed on the Liverpool loanee’s game time at B6 after the match.
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Big chances missed | 1 |
| Expected goals | 0.44 |
Ollie Watkins was replaced by Morgan Rogers early in the clash after the former felt his hamstring, with Tammy Abraham’s second Villa Park arrival prompting a start straight away for the striker.
Abraham is not registered in Villa’s Europa League squad, which is why the forward didn’t play against Salzburg.
Villa also announced the signing of Douglas Luiz on loan from Juventus this week, as the Brazilian should come straight back into a midfield that he once ran at B6.
Lamare Bogarde has been poor when filling in at right-back, and Emery will surely axe him, with Matty Cash will almost certainly come back into the side.
More defensive shuffles should see Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa both come back in for Victor Lindelof and Tyrone Mings.
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Why Tyrone Mings should be dropped despite goal vs RB Salzburg
Mings has been a long servant to the Villans, and he showed the two sides to his game against Salzburg.
Villa went 1-0 down in the first half after Mings was dispossessed while dwelling on the ball in his own box, as the Austrian side pounced and later grabbed a second in the match.
If it wasn’t for Emery’s changes, Villa would be coming into the clash against Brentford with a sour taste in their mouth.
- Mings has played 11 times this season
- He has started on six occassions in the Premier League
- Mings’ goal vs Salzburg was his first since the 2022-23 campaign
The Bees have been on hot form, and a two-game blip won’t change their foundations. Brentford like to press high and give opponents no time on the ball, and Mings has shown that his composure has declined.
The 32-year-old did net the equaliser versus Salzburg, but Emery won’t feel too bad about dropping someone who could cost his side the points this time around.
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