Aston Villa will play hosts to Crystal Palace at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon hoping to extend their three-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League. The Villans managed to earn a dominant 3-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion last weekend, which will give them a lot of momentum ahead of this upcoming clash versus the Eagles.
Dean Smith will opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation and might be inclined to name an unchanged team this weekend. Jack Grealish will once again carry most of the creative workload in the opposition half while Jacob Murphy waits for his chance on the bench.
4-2-3-1 Aston Villa Predicted Lineup To Face Crystal Palace
Defence
Emiliano Martínez will lineup in goal for the Villans after bagging a clean sheet versus the Baggies in his last league start. Tyrone Mings will resume his partnership with Kourtney Hause at the centre of Dean Smith’s defence as they try to limit the chances that the Eagles create on the counter.
Matty Cash will continue to operate at right-back while Matt Targett fills in on the other flank as the left-back. Smith will offer both his full-backs the freedom to get forward so that they can provide adequate support to the front players.
Midfield
Douglas Luiz and John McGinn will assume the responsibilities of the holding midfielders as they look to retain possession and create some decent chances for their teammates up top. Anwar El Ghazi will once again look to catch the eye on the left flank while Bertrand Traoré gets another chance to impress as the right-winger. Jack Grealish will play as an attacking midfielder and is expected to be a constant nuisance for the Eagles defenders this weekend.
Both El Ghazi and Traore were amongst the goal-scorers in last weekend’s win over the Baggies, so they will be quietly confident about putting on a similar show at Villa Park later this week. Conor Hourihane will have to be content with a place on the bench but might feature in the second half if required.
Attack
Ollie Watkins will spearhead the Villans attack in the final third. The goals have dried up for him of late, so this match could be the perfect opportunity for him to find the back of the net. Keinan Davis will be available for selection on Smith’s bench but could influence the game in the latter stages of the contest if needed.
