After it appeared as though Tottenham Hotspur would ruin Aston Villa’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, their thrilling victory over Arsenal over the weekend rekindled their aspirations to finish among the top four.
For the first time since early March, Villa will go into the second leg of their Conference League match against Lille having won two straight games. This could be the catalyst they need to guarantee a spot in the semifinals.
Even though a number of players rose to the occasion against the Gunners, Unai Emery may alter his starting lineup before the match on Thursday night.
Moussa Diaby did not excite his team during the weekend, which suggests he might not start in the second leg.
Moussa Diaby’s statistics vs Arsenal
The Frenchman was given a start by Emery, deployed on the right of a four-man midfield, and tasked with creating chances for Ollie Watkins throughout the match.
He couldn’t really get into the game, however, managing just 22 touches, 13 passes and zero key passes during his spell on the pitch.
| Moussa Diaby vs Arsenal | |
|---|---|
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Key passes | 0 |
| Dribble attempts (successful) | 2 (0) |
| Total duels (won) | 5 (2) |
| Via Sofascore | |
The winger also failed with both of his dribble attempts, along with delivering zero successful crosses and winning only two of his five total duels contested.
With the score finely poises at 0-0, the Spaniard switched things up slightly in the hope that Villa could go on and score a late winner, introducing Leon Bailey for the former Bayer Leverkusen gem.
The £120,000-per-week player, who considers himself unlucky to be starting on the bench against the Gunners, had previously scored 12 goals and claimed 12 assists before the Arsenal match.
Herald Bence Bocsak called him “special” and praised him for having a “phenomenal season” this term. Bailey entered the game with less than 30 minutes remaining as Emery searched for the winger to make a difference.He did make a difference. Bailey scored Villa’s first goal, his 13th of the season, with just six minutes left in normal time. Watkins then scored the game-winning goal to complete an incredible 2-0 victory.
The 26-year-old made 18 touches, completed 80% of his passes, and succeeded in 50% of his dribbling attempts during his 30-minute cameo.
