Aston Villa will host Premier League opposition Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup round of 16, with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs.
In one of the five all-Premier League clashes in the EFL Cup round of 16, Aston Villa will host Crystal Palace for a place in the quarter-finals. The two sides are coming into this midweek clash in contrasting moods following how their respective weekend clashes panned out, with Unai Emery keen on a significant response from his men.
Villa have enjoyed a fantastic season so far, but their inability to get a result following their UEFA Champions League games has been a bit problematic. It has happened twice now, as their wins over Bayern Munich and Bologna in Europe were then followed up with draws against Manchester United and Bournemouth, respectively.
Emery will have felt hard done by the result against the Cherries, as his defence held on to a slender lead for a long time before conceding from a setpiece right at the death. With the EFL clash on the horizon, Emery can use this game as a chance to rest some of his essential performers, although he will also have to take this clash seriously as a place in the quarterfinals is up for grabs.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace will likely come into this game as a confident team, having secured their first win of the Premier League season. Having struggled for relevance this term, with narrow defeats and bad performances, the Eagles put on a resilient show against Tottenham to make sure they crossed the line with a slender lead to defend.
Some have pointed fingers more towards Tottenham’s inability to attack rather than Palace’s defensive resilience. But either way, Oliver Glasner will be a happy and relieved man after the final whistle. Before the three points at the weekend, Palace had only managed wins in their EFL Cup run, although Villa might be the toughest test in the competition for them so far.
Palace saw off the threat posed by QPR in the previous round and will hope for a positive result against Emery’s men. Glasner would want to play in the quarter-finals, and he can take confidence from the last time Palace played Villa, which was a 5-0 win to the Eagles on the final day of last season.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Many Premier League managers dream of being in Unai Emery’s position when it comes to squad fitness. Jaden Philogene was the only player missing from action at the weekend, as he was suspended for the clash; his return to this midweek clash will mean Aston Villa have a clean bill of health.
Emery will likely use this midweek clash to give some of his returning stars minutes, especially Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara, with the duo only returning from long-term ACL injuries. The latter did come on as a late substitute to provide defensive stability in midfield against Bournemouth, only for Villa to concede a late equaliser.
Philogene and Emiliano Buendia, alongside star striker Jhon Duran, could also start. Ross Barkley could replace Amadou Onana as Emery continues to manage the Belgian’s fitness, and the Belgian could make do with a rest in midweek.
Ian Maatsen and Kosta Nedeljkovic will play as full-backs, while Diego Carlos and Mings partner up in central defence. Robin Olsen will also be allowed a rare start, as this cup game could give Emi Martinez a well-deserved rest. He will be boosted after being named the best goalkeeper in the world two years in a row.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Olsen; Nedeljkovic, Carlos, Mings, Maatsen; Kamara, Barkley; Bailey, Buendia, Philogene; Duran
Crystal Palace
Unlike Aston Villa, Crystal Palace have a long list of injured players ahead of this cup clash. They also lost Jefferson Lerma to a new injury at the weekend, as he was taken off at half-time against Tottenham.
Chadi Riad, Chris Richards, Matheus Franca, Cheick Doucoure, and Rob Holding are out of contention. Ismaila Sarr is also in doubt following a recent problem, although he could still make it for the midweek cup clash.
Oliver Glasner might prefer to use a strong eleven against Aston Villa this midweek, with Will Hughes and Adam Wharton set for roles in the midfield unit. Similarly, Marc Guehi, Maxence Lacroix, and Trevoh Chalobah are pencilled in to start at the back.
Eberechi Eze will be part of the attacking third alongside Daichi Kamada, while Eddie Nketiah is likely to replace Jean-Philippe Mateta up front.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Chalobah, Guehi, Lacroix; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Kamada, Eze; Nketiah
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have won five of their last six home matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- The last four meetings between the two teams have been won by the home side on each occasion, most recently coming on the final day of last season when Crystal Palace swept Aston Villa aside 5-0.
- Aston Villa’s draw with Bournemouth on Saturday extended their current unbeaten run to 11 matches in all competitions.
- Aston Villa will be looking to reach the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup for just the second time in 12 years.
- Crystal Palace have only reached the last eight of this competition once in the last 21 years, which came in a run to the semi finals back in 2012.
Player to Watch
Jhon Duran
It is another week in the Premier League and another game in which Jhon Duran was on the bench for Aston Villa despite his stellar performance against Bologna last midweek. Many fans might be baffled as to why Duran is not starting alongside Ollie Watkins in the final third. Still, the answer is clear: Unai Emery wants to have a formidable option on the bench when the opposition’s defences are wearing.
Either way, these cup games are a significant opportunity for a player like Duran to showcase that he’s worthy of a starting spot, and the fact that this game is against a top-flight team will make more sense to him. Hence, Duran is the player on watch to put on a big display as Aston Villa aims to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.
Prediction
Aston Villa 1-1 Crystal Palace
Aston Villa will have every reason to feel optimistic about getting a win in this game against Crystal Palace, given that this is a home clash, and they need a response here. However, there are some question marks about their ability to score freely and keep clean sheets, which will play a part in proceedings on Wednesday.
Crystal Palace are coming here after a stellar result against Spurs and will be high on confidence to play Aston Villa. Moreover, they will recall the last time the two teams played. This class has the hallmarks of an entertaining draw, and Villa may have the expertise to go through to the quarter-finals on penalties.