Unai Emery axes Tyrone Mings, three changes – Aston Villa predicted XI vs Lille
Tyrone Mings should be dropped from the starting lineup when Aston Villa visit Lille in the Europa League on Thursday.
Villa are on a terrible run of form, but they’ll be confident of going far in the Europa League, and a first-leg win over the French side at Stade Pierre-Mauroy would only reinforce their credentials as favourites.
Having finished second in the league phase, Unai Emery’s side would have been hoping for an easier draw, but the Spaniard’s excellent record in the competition will give fans a lot of hope.
However, last Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to Chelsea in the Premier League has raised alarm bells, and Mings’ poor performance on the night leaves his place in the team vulnerable for Thursday’s game.
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Pau Torres to replace Tyrone Mings in three changes
Mings has made 15 appearances in all competitions this season, and although he is still a huge asset to the Villans, he shouldn’t be starting over Pau Torres.
Against Chelsea, he didn’t make a single interception or block, which shows that he was constantly on the back foot throughout the match.
According to Sofascore, Mings has won just 54.4 per cent of his ground duels in the Premier League this season, and that clearly isn’t good enough for a centre-back who deserves to start under Emery.
| Stat | Mings |
| Appearances | 3 |
| Ground duels won | 61.9% |
| Recoveries | 10 |
| Tackles | 4 |
| Interceptions | 3 |
Therefore, Torres should be selected ahead of him for the Lille clash, as he would offer a lot more quality and composure in defence.
Matty Cash went off injured at Villa Park last Wednesday, and Lamare Bogarde is the man who’s most likely to take his place.
The final change would see Marco Bizot come back into the side for Emi Martinez.
The rest of the team should remain unchanged, and it’s clear that the fans will need to see a huge improvement in performances.
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Unai Emery’s record in Europe should give Aston Villa fans hope
Although Emery is still looking for his first trophy in B6, he has an exemplary record in the Europa League.
He has won the competition four times, the most of any other manager, with Spanish sides Sevilla and Villarreal.
Emery also led Villa to the semi-finals of the Conference League, where they knocked out Lille along the way, and the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they were eliminated by fellow French side Paris Saint-Germain.
Given the quality in Villa’s squad, they should aim to win the whole tournament, as it would give them automatic qualification to next season’s Champions League.
Although the feel-good factor has faded for the Brummies in the Premier League, the fans will be optimistic that they can secure a positive result in the first leg against Lille to put them in a great position for the second leg a week later.
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