Aston Villa will play hosts to Newcastle United on Monday night hoping to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this month. The Villans need to pick some wins in front of their home supporters if they are to survive the drop at the end of this campaign.
Dean Smith will likely opt for a 4-1-4-1 formation with Jack Grealish expected to come back into his starting XI.
4-1-4-1 Aston Villa Predicted Lineup To Face Newcastle United
Defence
Tom Heaton will return to the first-team to start in between the sticks for the Villans after missing out on his team’s loss away at Wolves before the international break. The centre-back pair of Björn Engels and Tyrone Mings will likely get the nod to operate at the heart of Villa’s defence. Both centre-halves will look to put in a commanding shift at the back to hopefully keep the Magpies at bay on Monday.
Frédéric Guilbert will continue to feature as the right-back while Matt Targett takes his place on the other side in the left-back position. Both full-backs will be in for a difficult night’s work as they will go up against Newcastle’s Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron respectively.
The Villans have a poor defensive record this season having conceded 20 goals in 12 league matches thus far. Hence, Smith will be desperate to see his defenders keep things tight in defence versus Steve Bruce’s men.
Midfield
Marvelous Nakamba will assume the duties of a defensive midfielder. His primary goal would be to stop the Newcastle attacks and provide adequate protection for the Villa backline. Douglas Luiz and John McGinn will play just ahead of him as the box to box midfielders.
Jack Grealish is a slight doubt for this game, but the English midfield ace should recover in time and will be in line to get a start on the left flank. Trezeguet will take his place on the right as he tries to make some clever runs behind the Newcastle defence.
Jota will be in a race against time to be fit for this clash. Smith might choose to name him on his bench and use him later if required.
Attack
Wesley Moraes will lead the charge for the West Midlands outfit up top. The 22-year-old striker has scored four goals in 12 matches in the Premier League so he will be Villa’s most potent weapon going forward.
Anwar El Ghazi might be dropped to the bench if Grealish recovers in time to face the Magpies on Monday night.
