Aston Villa will face off against AZ Alkmaar at the AFAS Stadium this Thursday as they look to secure a win in the UEFA Europa Conference League. The Villans managed to secure a dominant 4-1 victory over West Ham United recently which will give them a ton of confidence ahead of this game.
Unai Emery will set his men up in a 4-4-2 formation and is expected to name a strong team for this game. Diego Carlos could get a chance to play from the start of this game while Nicolo Zaniolo makes way for him and drops to the bench.
Emiliano Martinez will operate in between the sticks for the West Midlands club after conceding one goal in his last appearance. Diego Carlos will play alongside Pau Torres at the centre of the Aston Villa backline as they try to keep things solid at the back during the 90 minutes.
Ezri Konsa will fill in as the right-back while Lucas Digne hopes to impress on the other flank as the left-back. Both of them will have the freedom to get forward and express themselves in the opponent’s half.
Angelo Ogbonna will offer cover for the defensive positions on the bench.
Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara will once again anchor the midfield for the West Midlands club as they try to establish their dominance over the opposition in the middle of the park.
We can expect John McGinn to put in a hard-working performance on the left flank while Matty Cash looks to catch the eye on the right wing. Both of them will be instructed to stretch the Alkmaar defence at every chance they get.
Youri Tielemans and Leon Bailey will have to be content with a spot on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the latter stages if required.
Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby will spearhead Emery’s attack on the offensive end of the field. Both of them need to link up with each other well if the Villans want to secure a convincing win this week.
Bertrand Traore will be named on the bench as he waits for his chance to make an impact in the second half if Emery opts to call upon his services.
