Aston Villa had a good start to their Premier League campaign in the game against Tottenham, leading for 70 minutes, before being undone by a Tanguy Ndombele goal and a brace from Harry Kane.
Manager Dean Smith will be buoyed by what he saw against Spurs, and will hope that his side’s fortunes are better this weekend, when they face Bournemouth at home.
Let’s take a look at the side that Dean Smith could put out on Saturday against Bournemouth:
Aston Villa Team News
The trio of Kortney Hause, Jonathan Kodjia and James Chester will miss the clash, but none from last weekend’s starting lineup are doubts.
Predicted Aston Villa Lineup vs Bournemouth
Goalkeeper
New signing Tom Heaton had a good game against Spurs last week, and is set to continue between the sticks for Villa.
Defence
Villa’s defence, most of the players that started against Spurs, did very well, and we could possibly see an unchanged lineup at the heart of defence with Bjorn Engels and Tyrone Mings.
Both central defenders were very good for the majority of the game, and only after a few changes were made by Spurs in the second half, did the London club get past the stubborn defensive pair.
We could maybe see Matt Targett, who signed with Villa over the summer, make his debut against Bournemouth at left-back, while Ahmed Elmohamady could continue at right-back.
Midfield
The trio of Conor Hourihane, John McGinn, and Jack Grealish also had a good game against Spurs, frustrating the London side with their pressing and passing.
McGinn had a superb game, scoring the first goal of the match, while also being a constant threat to Spurs.
Grealish and McGinn will most certainly start the match against Bournemouth; Hourihane will also be given another chance, but if he is dropped, Douglas Luiz could get his first start in the defensive midfield position.
Attack
Club-record signing Wesley did not really impress in the game against Spurs, but it’s quite likely that he will be afforded ample time and opportunities to show what he’s really capable of doing. Smith has said the striker
“knows how we want to play,” so he should start.
Trezeguet and Anwar El Ghazi were lively in the game against Spurs, and they too will most likely start the game against Bournemouth.
Jota could be given an opportunity on the right, and if he does start for Villa, he will replace Trezeguet in the side.
