Emery Benches Cash in Aston Villa’s predicted lineup vs Sheff Utd

Aston Villa’s Premier League winning streak now stands at six games following their incredible comeback victory against Brentford this past weekend. Their previous loss came against Nottingham Forest at the start of November.

If they can continue on their current trajectory, Unai Emery’s team has also qualified for the Europa Conference League final rounds, making this season one to remember.

The Spaniard will now be concentrating on the top flight as continental football is finished until March. Should the Midlands team defeat Sheffield United on Friday night, they would go up to the top of the standings.

f Liverpool and Arsenal draw on the 23rd, Villa will be top at Christmas for the first time since 1998, yet even being in the top four is an incredible achievement.

The Blades are bottom of the table and this could suggest Emery makes a few changes to his starting XI from the tie against Brentford.

With this in mind, we at Football FanCast predict what team the former Arsenal boss will pick tomorrow evening…

No surprise to see the Argentinian continue to start in the Premier League as he has missed just one match in the top flight this campaign.

But against Sheffield United, he will be aiming for just his fifth clean sheet, and it may be a big help in securing three points.

Emery used a 3-5-2 formation against the Bees, and he will adopt this strategy once more because it worked during their 2-1 triumph.

Konsa has made appearances in 25 games so far this season, and as Emery’s team pursues victory, he is growing in importance.

After a challenging first season in the Midlands, the Brazilian has bounced back and is now a key player in Villa’s comeback under Emery.

Due to a significant injury he sustained in August 2022, he only played in three games the previous season. However, he has since recovered and has made eight starts in the league.

The Spaniard retains his place from the weekend victory, and it means Emery will keep the back three as it was ahead of the tie against the Blades.

Signed from Villarreal in the summer, Torres has started every single Premier League game after coming on for the injured Tyrone Mings during the first game of the season against Newcastle United and has turned into one of the best signings of the summer.

Matty Cash didn’t enjoy the best of games against the Bees as he was forced into a more advanced role.

The defender missed a big chance, succeeded with just one dribble and won just two ground duels, and he should well be dropped for the game tomorrow.

Bailey will replace him and the former Bayer Leverkusen winger has been in wonderful form this term.

He has scored eight goals and grabbed eight assists in just 23 matches so far and his presence on the right could give Villa a greater attacking threat from the wing.

The Scottish player started every league match this season despite being rested against Zrinjski. On Friday night, he will carry on this trend by entering the game with 30 minutes left and contributing an assist.

The 29-year-old provides an attacking threat from the midfield area with four goals and two assists in the Premier League, and this might be vital as the season progresses.

After receiving a red card over the weekend, Boubacar Kamara is suspended for the Blades match. As a result, Luiz will start the game again after serving his own suspension.

The Brazilian has been in sensational form this term, registering ten goal contributions from the heart of the midfield and with interest coming from Arsenal regarding a potential January swoop, Emery has placed a £100m price tag on him.

Hailed as “outstanding” by writer Martin Laurence back in 2021, the 25-year-old has gone from strength to strength and is a huge asset to Villa.

The academy graduate keeps his place from the win over Brentford and this completes the central midfield trio for Villa.

The 22-year-old has suffered a stop-start first few months of the season due to injury issues and has made only one league start during 2023/24, but this will change tomorrow evening against the Blades.

He is scoreless since netting against Brighton back in September, but a clash against the bottom club in the league presents a wonderful opportunity for the youngster.

Like Ramsey, Moreno has also suffered his own injury issues and made his first appearance of the season against Legia Warsaw at the end of November, and he even scored the winner.

Operating in a more advanced role against Brentford, the left-back managed to get on the scoresheet once again, and he will retain his place ahead of the clash against the Blades.

The Frenchman has tended to be deployed in a more central role during his league appearances this term and while he hasn’t quite lived up to the vast expectations upon his arrival in the summer, the 24-year-old has still scored four times and grabbed five assists.

Ollie Watkins will be Emery’s teammate against Chris Wilder, and he will probably stick with him in a more senior capacity.

Under Emery, the Englishman has been on fire this season, quickly rising to the top of the team sheet.

In 24 games in all competitions, Watkins has scored 14 goals and provided eight assists, showing his altruistic side as well. He will be crucial in the upcoming weeks.

In order to position himself well for the upcoming games, the former Brentford player will be seeking to score one or two goals against the Blades tomorrow night.

Aston Villa’s predicted lineup vs Sheffield Utd: GK – Martinez; CB – Konsa, CB – Carlos, CB – Torres; RM – Bailey, CM – McGinn, CM – Luiz, CM – Ramsey, LM – Moreno; ST – Diaby, ST – Watkins

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