Why Unai Emery will come to regret Aaron Wan-Bissaka call as Aston Villa line-up named vs Brighton

Unai Emery has made his call on who is Aston Villa's starting right-back.

Matty Cash has been the incumbent in the Spaniard's reign at Villa Park so far.

He has made 151 appearances under the 54-year-old, which represents a large majority of the 232 games that he has played for the B6 club.

However, the Villans signed Aaron Wan-Bissaka from West Ham earlier this week, giving him very talented competition.

The two veteran defenders will be fighting for the spot in a side that hopes to make a good impression in the Champions League, as well as the Premier League.

With the starting line-up revealed for the clash with Brighton at the AMEX Stadium, it is clear who has Emery's favour at the moment.

What is Aston Villa's starting line-up vs Brighton?

Emery has made the tough decisions for the first game of the 2026-27 campaign.

Marco Bizot starts between the sticks over Emiliano Martinez, with a departure expected for the World Cup winner, while Zion Suzuki is on the bench.

Cash has been given the nod at right-back, with Victor Lindelof and Pau Torres in the middle, and Ian Maatsen on the other flank, and Emery may come to regret not having Wan-Bissaka involved.

In midfield, Boubacar Kamara, Ross Barkley and Joao Gomes are handed the starting responsibility, with Emiliano Buendia in front of them as the number 10.

George Hemmings and John McGinn start in attack, with nobody leading the line against the Seagulls.

Wan-Bissaka will not make his debut from the opening minute, but is that a mistake from Emery?

Why Wan-Bissaka decision is the wrong one for Villa

Wan-Bissaka played 25 times in the top-flight last season, but ultimately, could not prevent his side being relegated.

The Congo international recorded a 76.7 per cent pass accuracy, with a 38.1 per cent cross success, according to Fotmob data.

Defensively, he made 7.51 contributions per game, with 1.43 tackles, 3.24 recoveries and 4.06 clearances.

Meanwhile, Cash had 35 appearances in the division, completing 85.5 per cent of his passes and a 19.8 per cent cross success rate.

The Polish international managed 5.54 defensive contributions per game, with 1.97 tackles, 2.62 recoveries, and 2.50 clearances.

Wan-Bissaka looks like the better option at both ends of the pitch, so it may prove to be the wrong decision to have him not in the squad at all.