Better late than never, the wheels have started to fall back on the track for Aston Villa. Two wins on the trot have taken the Villans up to the 15th spot and after 34 league outings, Steve Bruce’s men have collected 42 points and although the playoff spot is a distant dream, the signs of resurrection should do a lot of favour to the Villa Park-based side in the coming times. On Saturday, they make a trip to the New York Stadium to face last seeded Rotherham United and here is our Aston Villa’s predicted line-up for the fixture.
Defence
On loan from Manchester United, Sam Johnstone has managed to register two clean sheets on the trot where the Lions won comfortably against Derby County and Bristol City. He is expected to be stationed between the sticks yet again this weekend. Bruce has been persistent with the goalie and the dividends have just started to yield of late.
Right ahead of Johnstone, we are expecting the duo of James Chester and Nathan Baker to be slotted in the central defence to thwart the Millers’ offensive endeavours.
A change is expected at the left-back slot as Neil Taylor hasn’t had a prominent start to life at Aston Villa, which implies that the flamboyance, mobility and agility of Jordan Amavi should be getting a nod ahead of the former Swansea City full-back. On the other flank, Alan Hutton should be in the starting line-up completing a four-man defensive line. Ritchie De Laet still remains an absentee owing to his knee injury.
Midfield
Mile Jedinak’s industry against Bristol City played a pivotal role in Aston Villa’s win and he should be starting yet again against Paul Warne’s outfit. The defensive-minded midfielder should be teed up alongside Conor Hourihane and Henri Lansbury to form a midfield three. Craig Gardner has failed to make his presence felt for the Claret & Blue Army and should be starting from the bench.
Attack
Scott Hogan’s Malleolar injury, which occurred when the former Brentford hitman landed awkwardly on his right ankle during the game against Newcastle United has come at a really bad time. Hogan shall be missed for a month, which implies that he would be returning for some of the final fixtures of the season.
Jonathan Kodjia should be leading Aston Villa up front, with Albert Adomah on the right wing and Andre Green should be starting the game ahead of Jack Grealish on the left flank once again after a stupendous outing against Bristol City.
Predicted Line-Up:
