High-flying Aston Villa will look to make it four straight wins in all competitions when they lock horns against Hibernian at Villa Park on Thursday evening.
Although their Europa Conference League group stage berth is all but confirmed following last week’s hefty first-leg victory, Aston Villa will look to give fans yet another reason to celebrate when they face Hibernian in the return leg of the final playoff round.
The quality gap between the Premier League and Scottish Premiership was as clear as daylight last Wednesday when Aston Villa romped to a 5-0 victory at Easter Road in the first leg of their Europa Conference League playoff with Hibernian. An Ollie Watkins hat-trick coupled with goals apiece from Leon Bailey and Douglas Luiz means Villa have one foot in the group stage of the Europa Conference League.
Unai Emery’s troops have bounced back in style from a disappointing opening-day defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League. They have not only ripped Everton apart but hammered Hibs. In addition, the free-scoring Lions also went on to beat Burnley 3-1 at Turf Moor on Sunday.
As for Hibernian, they are enduring a tough time right now, and sacked manager Lee Johnson after Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Livingston meant they have lost all of their opening three Scottish Premiership matches, leaving them rock-bottom in the Scottish Premiership table having shipped eight goals.
With Johnson’s assistant coaches Jamie McAllister and Adam Owen also out of the door, former skipper David Gray has taken over the reins as caretaker manager for the “immediate future”, being supported by Stuart Garden until the club find a permanent successor.
Having finished a creditable fifth last term, the Edinburgh outfit will merely be playing for pride when they visit the Midlands, with the tie already heading beyond their clutches.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Next: Villa Park's first European night since 2010. ✨ #UECL pic.twitter.com/PMxi7R5sq5
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 29, 2023
Philippe Coutinho was forced off with a thigh problem against Everton and will be sidelined until next month. Emiliano Buendia (knee) is expected to miss the majority of the 2023/24 season alongside side centre-back Tyrone Mings (knee).
Jacob Ramsey (ankle) and Leander Dendoncker (muscle) are other notable absentees, with the duo not expected to be back until mid-September 16, while Alex Moreno (thigh) is also expected to be out until early September.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery will likely ring the changes for this contest, with Villa visiting Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. And there is no incentive to chase the game given the insurmountable lead.
First-team stars such as Ollie Watkins, Moussa Diaby, and Douglas Luiz could all be given a breather, with playmaker Youri Tielemans, winger Bertrand Traore, and Colombian striker Jhon Duran set to feature from the get-go instead. Loan signing Nicolo Zaniolo featured in a Champions League qualifier for Galatasaray last month, making him ineligible for the Conference League playoff round.
First-choice goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez may not be risked after sitting out Sunday’s Premier League victory with a calf problem, with Sweden international Robin Olsen in line to deputise once again. Captain John McGinn led the Villans to success against his former club last time out and will aim to do the same in front of his home supporters.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Olsen; Konsa, Chambers, Torres, Digne; Tielemans, Kamara; Bailey, McGinn, Traore; Duran
Hibernian
Following Lee Johnson’s sacking, David Gray has stepped up to manage the visitors on an interim basis, and he could make several changes from the XI that lost against Livingston.
Dylan Levitt is the main injury concern for Hibernian heading into this match after he missed out on the first-leg against Aston Villa and the weekend’s clash against Livingston. That could mean Jordan Obita will retain his place in the starting XI at left-back despite scoring an own goal last time out.
The Hibs are back in #UECL action on Thursday night ⚽️
Next 🆙: a trip to Villa Park. pic.twitter.com/XgZcEm1JWf
— Hibernian Football Club (@HibernianFC) August 29, 2023
Harry McKirdy is also unavailable due to an injury, while injuries to both David Marshall and Jojo Wollacott mean interim boss Gray is left with just one fit goalkeeper in Max Boruc for Thursday night.
Dylan Vente was able to overcome an injury concern to feature as a substitute against Livingston. The Dutch striker could make a comeback to the playing XI up front, along with side midfielder Josh Campbell, who scored after coming off the bench on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Boruc; Miller, Fish, Hanlon, Obita; Jeggo, Newell, Campbell; Youan, Vente, Boyle
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have won each of their last three games by at least two goals.
- Hibernian are winless in four of their last five games across competitions, losing three.
- Hibs are without a win in five games on the road, losing four in a row since a 2-0 friendly victory over Gibraltar outfit Europa FC in July.
- Unai Emery’s men are on a stunning run of eight competitive home wins since a 4-2 defeat to Arsenal in February.
Player to Watch
Jhon Duran
The 19-year-old Colombian striker has made 15 appearances since his January move from Chicago Fire, although he has totalled just 165 minutes of football in those outings.
Nevertheless, he has still managed to make a positive impression in most of those brief run-outs, showcasing his technical quality and ability to offer a goal-scoring threat in the final third. There have been positive signs as he continues to adjust to life in England and in the Premier League, as evident by his well-taken goal against Everton.
His work ethic and versatility make him a very useful alternative option for Unai Emery’s side. He is still raw and inexperienced, but the only way to gain that crucial experience is by playing. And with the Lions likely to roar in the Europa Conference League this term, he will get ample minutes to showcase his talent further.
Prediction
Hibernian 0-2 Aston Villa
Although we do not expect another thrashing in the return fixture at Villa Park for managerless Hibernian, the gulf in class between the teams last time out was hard to ignore, and another defeat could await them. A second-string Aston Villa side should get the job done without any fuss while playing out in second gear.
Hibs only had two shots on target at Easter Road last Wednesday and could again struggle up top. So they will likely be in damage limitation mode when they travel south to Birmingham, which may keep the scoreline fairly respectable in comparison to the first leg.
