Aston Villa will look to continue their strong form when they host Legia Warsaw in a Group E tie of the Europa Conference League on Thursday night.
Aston Villa supporters are dreaming of a surprise Premier League title push after a stellar start to the season, but their focus must now turn back to the UEFA Europa Conference League as they look to book a place in the knockout rounds by beating Legia Warsaw.
Unai Emery’s side enhanced their top-four credentials with a 2-1 win at Tottenham on Sunday, a result that lifted them into the top four, just two points off the top. That has continued a remarkable rise under the canny Spanish tactician, who took over with Villa mired in a relegation scrap just 13 months ago.
Emery has four European trophies to his name, and many have predicted he will scoop another, with the UEFA Europa Conference League’s favourites, Aston Villa, kicking off their campaign by thrashing Hibs 8-0 on aggregate in the play-offs.
However, the Villans got their Europa Conference group stage off to a poor start when they suffered a shock 3-2 defeat in Poland. And they needed a stoppage-time John McGinn goal to see off Bosnian side Zrinjski Mostar, although they bounced back to beat AZ Alkmaar home and away.
Following an alarming downturn featuring five defeats in six games, Legia Warsaw have steadied the ship since then with a five-game unbeaten run, meaning they come to England in good shape. The visitors have been difficult to beat recently, as seen by a 2-2 draw against Warta Poznan last weekend.
With Aston Villa and Legia Warsaw both sitting on nine points, the winner of this match will secure a spot in the knockout stages.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia remain on the long road to recovery from knee injuries. Unai Emery’s side should otherwise have a full squad to pick from at his disposal. England youth international Jacob Ramsey (ankle) made an appearance off the bench at Spurs and should be in contention to start here, while Alex Moreno is back in the fold as well.
With the top-of-the-table clash potentially set to define Aston Villa’s European campaign this season, Emery is likely to field a strong side at Villa Park.
Emi Martinez will continue between the sticks for Villa after an outstanding display against Spurs. Matty Cash could be handed a second chance at right-back after being hooked at half-time against Spurs, with a view to him being able to start in Europe. Alex Moreno could make his first start of the campaign at left-back, replacing Lucas Digne after the Frenchman struggled against Spurs.
At the heart of defence, Clement Lenglet will definitely start, having played every minute in all four of Aston Villa’s Conference League matches this season. Ezri Konsa is likely to partner the Frenchman.
In such a crucial game, in-demand midfielder Douglas Luiz picks himself up after his stellar start to the season. Emery may promote Youri Tielemans to his starting XI on Thursday after his excellent cameo from the bench against Spurs, while skipper John McGinn has been in good scoring form, with four goals in his last eight outings for club and country.
With 12 goals in all competitions so far this season, Ollie Watkins has been in incredible form for Villa. The English international will be supported by the speedsters Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey in the attacking third.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; McGinn, Luiz, Tielemans, Bailey; Diaby, Watkins
Legia Warsaw
Legia Warsaw will be without the services of right midfielder Ramil Mustafaev, who has missed a whopping 25 matches since picking up an ACL tear in late July. Jurgen Celhaka (Yellow card), and centre-back Yuri Ribeiro have both picked up suspensions in other competitions, so they should be available here.
Bartosz Kapustka and Filip Rejczyk are back to full training, though head coach Kosta Runjaic is not expected to start any of the aforementioned quartet in midweek. French Steve Kapuadi returns from suspension after missing Saturday’s 2-2 draw. So, he should slot straight into the three-man central defensive unit, comprising Radovan Pankov and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Veteran Portuguese forward Josue heads to Villa Park with his tail up after netting in three of his last four games for Legia Warsaw. Tomas Pekhart, who has six goals to lead Warsaw from the front, will also be looking to pose a threat to Villa’s defence, alongside Ernest Muci, who was named man of the match against Warta Poznan last week and has four goals in this season’s Conference League, including the qualifying playoff.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Tobiasz; Pankov, Jedrzejczyk, Kapuadi; Wszolek, Slisz, Elitim, Kun; Josue, Muci; Pekhart
Key Stats
- Unai Emery’s side have won each of their previous three Europa Conference League home matches.
- Aston Villa have conceded in seven of their last eight matches on their home turf.
- Legia Warsaw have scored 12 goals in five Europa Conference League away games this season.
- Nine of Aston Villa’s last ten home games have featured at least 2.5 goals.
- The hosts have set a new club record for Premier League wins registered in a calendar year, with their 22nd victory coming against Tottenham last time out.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins has made a blistering start to the season, scoring 12 goals and providing seven assists in all competitions. At 27 years old, this is a man in the form of his life, his game now transformed under Unai Emery at Villa Park. He has been a pillar of the Villa team that is now fourth in the table, just two points off the top spot.
The good news for Villa fans is that Ollie Watkins will not be going to one of the so-called Big Six any time soon, having signed a new five-year deal only last month. With this a crucial tie, expect him to come up trumps with yet another goal-scoring performance in midweek.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 Legia Warsaw
With so much at stake, this could be yet another feisty match between the two sides, just like in the reverse fixture. However, this trip to Villa Park will be significantly tougher for Legia, with the hosts proving too hot to handle on home soil, having won nine of their past 10 games on their own patch.
Legia have also scored 12 away goals in five games in the Europa Conference League this season, and while Villa eventually edged out Tottenham, their defence was exposed on numerous occasions, with Spurs proving wasteful with some clear-cut chances. The visitors may not have enough to win but can at least get on the scoresheet to give the hosts’ a bit of a scare.