Aston Villa welcome Leeds United to Villa Park on Friday night hoping to grab all three points from this home encounter. The Villans will come into the match on the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of League Two side Stevenage in that FA Cup encounter, so they will be looking to produce a better result and bounce back in this Premier League match-up.
Unai Emery will probably shift to a 4-4-2 formation and is expected to make a host of changes to the first XI from the last time out. Ollie Watkins could get the nod over Danny Ings in the final third while Ludwig Augustinsson drops to the bench to make way for Lucas Digne in the defensive half.
4-4-2 Aston Villa Predicted XI Vs Leeds United
Defence
Emiliano Martinez will operate in goal for his side hoping to keep a clean sheet as he features from the start. Ezri Konsa will function alongside Tyrone Mings at the heart of Villa’s backline as they try to keep the opposition attackers at bay throughout the game.
Ashley Young will play in the right-back position while Lucas Digne operates on the opposite flank. Both of them will get forward and join in on the attack while keeping a solid defensive shape at the back to stop the opposition from creating too many chances from the wide areas.
Midfield
Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz will anchor the midfield for Unai Emery’s side as they try to dominate the opposition at the centre of the park.
Matty Cash and Emi Buendia will feature on the right and left flank operating from the middle as they look to provide support from the wide areas and try to create opportunities in front of the goal.
John Mcginn will have to settle for a spot on the bench as he waits for his chance to impress in the second half if Emery decides to call upon his services.
Attack
Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey will form a two-man strike team to lead the charge for the Villans. Both of them will fancy their chances of finding the back of the net against the opposition’s defence.
Danny Ings will have to be content with a place on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the final quarter of the match if the West Midlands club are in need of a goal by then.
