Aston Villa won their first match – and their first points – of the Premier League season this past weekend, when they defeated Everton 2-0 on Friday night. Their defence stood strong as striker Wesley and winger Anwar El Ghazi scored in both halves to give their team the much-needed win.
Villa will face Crewe Alexandra in the second round of the League Cup on Tuesday night, which will be the perfect opportunity for manager Dean Smith to hand a couple of debuts to some of the players that he signed in the summer, while other squad players will also get a chance.
Experienced goalkeeper Tom Heaton could get a rest for the midweek game, and he could be replaced by former Norwich goalkeeper Jed Steer for the League Cup game.
The central defensive duo of Tyrone Mings and Björn Engels have been very good so far this season, with the former being excellent on Friday against Everton, despite suffering an injury in the warm-up ahead of the match. We could probably see Mings drop out of the team to keep him fit and fresh for the next Premier League game, and he could be replaced by highly-rated centre-back Ezri Konsa.
Left-back Matt Targett could also get a start and replace Neil Taylor in the side, while right-back Frédéric Guilbert could retain his place in the side.
Conor Hourihane, who played the first league game of the season before being replaced by new signing Douglas Luiz, could return to the side, and he could be joined by John McGinn – who has been exceptional for Villa so far – and Henri Lansbury could possibly get his first start of the season against Crewe. Marvelous Nakamba may still not be fit enough to start a game for Villa, but he could come off the bench to play a few minutes for his new side.
Jota had a fantastic game against Everton and he could start once again on the right side of attack, while Anwar El Ghazi could get a chance on the left. It remains to be seen if Dean Smith wants to risk playing record signing Wesley against Crewe, as Villa’s second-choice striker Jonathan Kodjia is out due to injury. If Wesley does not play, 21-year-old Keinan Davis could get a start for Villa.
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