Aston Villa will be eager to put last night’s defeat to Manchester City behind them as Brentford travel to Villa Park on Saturday, giving Unai Emery a fresh selection headache.
Unai Emery will be looking ahead to Saturday’s fixture against Brentford in the Premier League, as Aston Villa look to redeem themselves after losing 4-1 to Manchester City on Wednesday night.
An evening of brilliance from Phil Foden took the game from Villa’s reach, with Saturday acting as the opportunity for the Villans to reassert themselves with a clean slate.
It’s crucial that Villa look to rebuild form starting against the Bees, as the race for fourth place heats up with seven games to go.
Against Brentford, Emery will have the pleasure of welcoming one of his most integral players back to the squad however, as a result, the manager could be left with a decision to make over selection.
John McGinn’s return could give Unai Emery a selection headache ahead of Brentford
On Saturday, club captain John McGinn will return to the fold after serving his three-match suspension following the red card he received against Spurs at the start of March.
In the Scotsman’s absence, Villa have earned four points from a possible nine, losing to City, drawing to West Ham and beating Wolves, with form hoping to be restored as their captain returns.
While the ‘amazing’ 29-year-old, as lauded by his manager, should fit seamlessly back into midfield alongside Douglas Luiz, his return could give Emery a difficult decision to make regarding two players further up the pitch.
In place of McGinn, Youri Tielemans has been filling in in a deeper role, leaving his place in the final third there for Moussa Diaby to take.
Now, the manager must decide whether to drop one of either Tielemans or Diaby to accommodate McGinn’s return, with one player the most obvious choice based on his form of late.
Moussa Diaby must keep his place in the starting XI against Brentford
Before he returned to the starting XI against Wolves, Diaby had come off the bench for seven games, making him work to reclaim his place after suffering a dip in form.
Since his return, the Frenchman has shown his worth, recording three goal contributions in his previous three Premier League appearances, scoring once and registering two assists.
It’s glaringly obvious that the 24-year-old is a far more potent threat to play at the head of attack just behind Ollie Watkins, with his pace, skill and power utilised better than the skillset of Tielemans.
Journalist Jacob Tanswell also commented on Diaby’s playing style with reference to how he benefits Leon Bailey, calling for Emery to play the duo together more often by insisting the boss “needs them both, together”.
While Tielemans hasn’t been bad in recent weeks, it would be incredibly harsh to see Emery now drop Diaby after the France international rebuilt his confidence to look electric again, with his terrific ability having the keys to unlock Brentford’s defence.
