Aston Villa attacker Moussa Diaby has dropped a huge hint on social media that he could be starting against Chelsea in the FA Cup tonight.
Unai Emery’s side were unable to break through Chelsea in the previous fixture as a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge has led to a replay this evening.
Villa arrive into this contest full of confidence after putting in a five-star performance against Sheffield United while the Blues were beaten 4-2 by Wolves in the Premier League.
On the back of that hugely positive display against the Blades, Emery has received a mixed bag of news.
While he has revealed that Pau Torres is available to take his place on the bench, Ezri Konsa is out for three to four walks after being withdrawn from Saturday’s match.
The Englishman will miss some pivotal fixtures over the coming weeks and that serves as a huge blow to Emery.
In total, Villa have five players who have been ruled out of tonight’s clash, but one player has hinted he could start against the Blues and that is Moussa Diaby.
Moussa Diaby hints on Instagram that he could start v Chelsea
Diaby replaced the excellent Leon Bailey with half an hour to play against Sheffield United.
Unfortunately, the 24-year-old has struggled to put in consistent performances recently, scoring just once in his last nine Premier League appearances.
He did, however, play ninety minutes in the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge and has now dropped a hint that he could start once more tonight.
The Frenchman has put out a pre-match graphic on Instagram, hinting that he could be thrown in from the off against Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Should Moussa Diaby start v Chelsea?
In the demolition of Sheffield United, Emery opted to use Youri Tielemans in the pocket behind Ollie Watkins instead of the Frenchman.
After getting himself into some promising positions against Chelsea in the previous fixture without supplying the end product, Villa may prefer him over the Belgian tonight.
Unlike Tielemans, who is more known for his playmaking ability, Diaby possesses the blistering pace and excellent movement to cause the Blues problems in behind.
It’s those penetrating runs that can drag defenders away from their comfort zone and open up space for Watkins in the box.
Diaby can also form a potentially devastating combination with Bailey in the right channel, as he likes to drift out to the wing and impact the game from wide areas.
Tonight could be an opportunity for their record-signing to show his best qualities against a side who are short on confidence.
