Aston Villa travel to West Ham on Saturday evening for the opening match of their Premier League campaign.
It’s a campaign where Unai Emery will have to juggle domestic matches with the Champions League and Chris Sutton thinks Aston Villa will find it ‘difficult’.
The Villans have made eight new additions to their squad but it remains to be seen whether they’ve successfully replaced the void of Douglas Luiz, who left for Juventus.
Villa’s results in pre-season have perhaps reflected the loss of the Brazilian, with Emery’s men losing four of their last five matches. In the grand scheme of things, though, friendlies are more about fitness rather than the scoreline but the Spaniard won’t have been happy.
Supporters will feel a sense of excitement and apprehension for the campaign ahead as they embark on their latest European adventure.
Aston Villa team news ahead of West Ham
A trip to West Ham isn’t the easiest fixture to kick off their season, with the Hammers completely strengthening their squad with quality having signed the likes of Max Kilman and Crysencio Summerville.
But Villa have some big-hit signings of their own, including Amadou Onana, electric full-back Ian Maatsen and exciting winger Jaden Philogene, who will all be hoping to make their debuts.
As for the players unavailable, Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings are still on the road to recovery following serious injuries while this match will come too soon for Emi Buendia.
Whilst Emi Martinez is the Villans permanent number one, backup goalkeeper Robin Olsen is doubtful with a facial injury picked up in a pre-season match against RB Leipzig at the end of last month.
So, with that said, here’s how Emery could line up for the clash against West Ham.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs West Ham as Ollie Watkins starts
Fresh from winning the Copa America, Martinez has issued a ‘special’ reason why he’s changed his number from 1 to 23 for this season.
Ling up with a four-man defence, Kosta Nedeljkovic has impressed Emery in pre-season but the experience of Matty Cash should get the nod over the teenager. Meanwhile, Villa don’t have much choice in central defence.
With Diego Carlos poised for an exit and Mings recovering, Pau Torres will line up next to Ezri Konsa while Lucas Digne could start ahead of new signing Ian Maatsen after the Frenchman showed his worth.
For most of their friendlies, Emery has lined up with a midfield of Onana, Youri Tielemans and John McGinn. It’s a trio that offers Villa a blend of energy, tenacity and creativity in abundance.
Ahead of them, Leon Bailey’s position on the right is assured while the ‘outstanding’ Morgan Rogers deserves a spot cutting in from the left flank.
The position giving Emery the biggest worry is striker as the ‘unbelievable’ Ollie Watkins hasn’t featured for a single minute in pre-season but we think the Spaniard will give in to temptation by starting him against the Hammers.
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, McGinn, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Watkins.
