Aston Villa predicted XI, team and injury news v Zrinjski as £22m man handed rare start

This week, Aston Villa travels to Bosnia to play Zrinjski Mostar, aware that a victory would guarantee them a top-four position in the group. This is the XI we projected.

For Villa so far this season, their start to the Europa Conference League has been almost flawless.

After falling short against Legia Warsaw in their opening match, Unai Emery’s team has won all of their subsequent games. This included victories over AZ Alkmaar in back-to-back games as well as a hard-fought victory over the Polish team in the rematch.

As a result of this form, the Villans are now guaranteed to progress into the next round of the competition. With that being said, a point or more against Zrinjski will see them claim top spot in the group.

With their place confirmed already, there may be plenty of changes to the starting side this midweek. Here is our predicted XI vs Zrinjski…

Aston Villa predicted XI vs Zrinjski Mostar

Although Robin Olsen did enter the game recently, Emi Martinez has been the Villans‘ constant in goal. The Swede might not play here because he did not sit on the bench in the previous two games. Having said that, Filip Marschall might make his Villa debut.

Though they have been excellent lately, the backline will probably see some adjustments. Both Alex Moreno and Clement Lenglet will start right away. Matty Cash, who was recently moved to right-back, will return to that position. Although anyone could start in the right center-back position, we predict Ezri Konsa to start.

There are going to be some alterations in midfield. Considering his cameo against Arsenal, Leander Dendoncker ought to start. Douglas Luiz ought to start today versus Brentford because he is suspended. Jacob Ramsey and Nicolo Zaniolo, who both require more playing time, will be beside them.

In our expected starting lineup, Moussa Diaby and Jhon Duran are up front, where they both desperately need playing time and a goal. When combined, these two might be a serious threat to the Zrinjski defense. Their quickness, strength, and goal-scoring ability should be sufficient to win all three points.

Even if there are plenty of changes to the starting XI, there is more than enough quality to get by Zrinjski and win the game.

Predicted XI: Marschall, Cash, Konsa, Lenglet, Moreno, Zaniolo, Luiz, Dendoncker, Ramsey, Diaby, Watkins

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