Emi Buendia starts in four Unai Emery changes – Aston Villa predicted XI vs Go Ahead Eagles
Unai Emery will be searching for his third UEFA Europa League win of the season when Aston Villa take on Go Ahead Eagles on Thursday.
Emery would’ve been pleased with his team’s performance as Villa beat Tottenham 2-1 to secure all three points in the Premier League on Sunday.
He is now five games unbeaten in the Premier League after Villa’s 1-1 draw to Everton back in September.
While Villa are the favourites heading into their Europa League clash on 23 October, the Villans’ coach will not be prepared to take his eye off the ball for even a second.
Emi Buendia starts as Ollie Watkins returns
Emi Buendia’s impressive cameo against Tottenham could earn him a start for Villa against Go Ahead Eagles at the De Adelaarshorst.
Meanwhile, Ollie Watkins started from the bench against Spurs after picking up a knock while on international duty with The Three Lions.
But after playing for 29 minutes in their most recent win, Emery could be tempted to start Watkins to help him return to full fitness.
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The Villa manager could opt to retain his midfield from their win over the Lilywhites but make a couple of defensive changes.
Ian Maatsen could start over Lucas Digne, who did not have his best performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Despite registering an assist, Digne won zero of his tackles and only made two interceptions.
Furthermore, only 36 per cent of his passes in the opposition half were accurate, and all five of his attempted crosses were inaccurate.
Meanwhile, Victor Lindelof could see his first start for the Villans since signing for the Premier League side over the summer.
Aston Villa will need to be vigilant against Go Ahead Eagles
It would be tempting for Villa to write their opponents off, considering they’re the heavy favourites heading into the tie. However, the hardest games in football are usually the ones most unexpected.
It is likely that Go Ahead Eagles will defend with a low block on Thursday, given the attacking talent in this Villa team.
This means that the Villans will spend most of the first half attempting to break down a tight-lipped defence, which is never fun for attacking sides. Indeed, the confrontation could require a degree of patience which is hard to come by on big European nights.
Therefore, Villa should not take a victory for granted when coming up against Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.