Aston Villa came from behind to secure a draw against Brentford in the mid-week Championship fixture, thanks to Jonathan Kodjia’s goal in the dying moments of the injury time. Steve Bruce’s men are still unbeaten in the league but have to certainly better their performances.
At the moment, the Villans are placed at the 5th spot on the league table with 8 points from 4 games. Later today, they are due to host Reading at the Villa Park. The Royals have had a terrible start to the season, having collected just 1 point out of a possible 12. Aston Villa will aim to pile more misery on Paul Clement’s troops.
Aston Villa Team News
New signing Anwar El Ghazi is expected to be in the squad but the Villans will once again be bereft of the services of Keinan Davis and Scott Hogan, who are still sidelined owing to their injuries. Apart from these two, Bruce has no injury or suspensions to worry about.
PREDICTED ASTON VILLA LINE-UP TO FACE READING (4-4-1-1)
Defence
Orjan Nyland was far from impressive between the sticks against the Bees but Bruce is likely to give him more opportunities to find his feet. Bruce is expected to roll out James Chester and Mile Jedinak to cater to his side’s central defensive needs.
In 4 Championship appearances, Chester has mustered 1.3 tackles and 9.5 clearances and has once again been solid at the back. Meanwhile, Alan Hutton and Axel Tuanzebe are likely to keep their places in the left-back and right-back slot, respectively.
Midfield
We expect Ahmed Elmohamady to start from the right-wing, with Albert Adomah expected to start from the other side. Both the wingers have lacked a cutting edge and final output and there is no denying that they have to better themselves in the upcoming outings.
Instead of Glenn Whelan, we expect Bruce to station Conor Hourihane in the central midfield alongside summer signing John McGinn. Jack Grealish is expected to operate as the central attacking midfielder. The 22-year-old has just 1 assist to his name and he will be keen to make an impact against Reading.
Attack
Jonathan Kodjia should get the nod to start up front once again. He found the back of the net twice against Brentford and must be running high on confidence. He is a clinical goal-getter but needs regular service from his fellow attackers.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
