Unai Emery to axe Moussa Diaby and Matty Cash, Leander Dendoncker to be given first start – Aston Villa predicted XI v Sheffield United

For Aston Villa’s Premier League matchup at Villa Park on Friday, December 22, against Sheffield United, Unai Emery may make up to five changes.

When the Villans meet the struggling Blades at Villa Park on Friday, December 22, they could find themselves atop the Premier League standings by then.

Aston Villa could win 16 straight home games at Villa Park if they defeat Chris Wilder’s team, although Emery will have difficult choices to make over his starting lineup due to a number of suspensions and injury concerns.

Boubacar Kamara won’t be available until the new year following his violent conduct red card against Brentford last weekend so he may well be replaced by Leander Dendoncker in midfield.

Pau Torres is a doubt for the game, according to Injury Expert Ben Dinnery (18 December) after a knock picked up at Brentford.

Also, Youri Tielemans is also a doubt which could well see Emery make as many as five changes for the game.

Emiliano Martinez should continue in goal, but the Argentine goalkeeper should consider himself extremely lucky not to have received a red card like Kamara after his bizarre and violent antics with Brentford’s Neal Maupay.

Emery used Matty Cash and Alex Moreno as his wingbacks in a three-man defensive setup. However, the Spaniard should revert to his usual team against Sheffield United and bench the former following another lackluster performance on Sunday.

Cash began the game with the lowest average rating of any Aston Villa player, according to SofaScore, at 6.4/10. He won 50% of his duels and completed 0% of his long balls and crosses.

The former Nottingham Forest defender also failed to register a single key pass, lost possession of the ball 12 times and won just one tackle before being hooked off after 65 minutes.

Ezri Konsa should start at right-back while Diego Carlos keeps his place at centre-back but Emery has a critical dilemma in the form of Torres who picked up a knock against Brentford and the Spaniard could be replaced by Clement Lenglet for his first start of the season.

As per SofaScore, Lenglet has started all five of their Europa Conference League games so far this season, recording 92.8 touches per game, completing 95 per cent of his passes, recording 0.4 key passes from centre-back, averaging 1.2 tackles per game, 5.4 balls recovered, completing 100 per cent of his dribbles and 64 per cent of his total duels.

The Frenchman is certainly more than capable of holding his own at left centre-back.

At left-back Moreno could well keep his place at the expense of Lucas Digne after an impressive display on Sunday, scoring the crucial equaliser with a header but also completing 100% of his long balls, 50 per cent of his dribble attempts, completing 88 per cent of his passes, registering four clearances and winning four duels.

In midfield, Emery admitted that Leon Bailey suffered a knock against Brentford but should be ready enough to start and continue his rapid form of late where he’s registered two goals and two assists from his last five appearances [SofaScore].

At the heart of midfield, Douglas Luiz will be welcomed back with open arms from suspension but will see his trusted midfield partner absent after Kamara picked up a red card last weekend so Leander Dendoncker could well be handed the chance to start, with Tielemans an injury doubt.

The Belgian was handed a rare start against Zrinjski Mostar in the Europa Conference League last week and was particularly tidy, completing 92 per cent of his passes, 66 per cent of his long balls, and 66 per cent of his aerial duels.

John McGinn should continue playing in his special role for Aston Villa on the left flank, but Emery may decide to maintain Jacob Ramsey in the starting lineup instead of Moussa Diaby, who was awful again the previous weekend.

With just one goal and one assist in his nine games, Emery signed the Frenchman mostly for his attacking impact, but he hasn’t demonstrated it recently [SofaScore].

Ollie Watkins, who continued his amazing run for Aston Villa by scoring the game-winning goal and his ninth Premier League goal against the Bees, should start behind Jacob Ramsey.

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