Aston Villa will welcome AZ Alkmaar at Villa Park this Thursday night as they hope to pick up a win on the road in the UEFA Europa Conference League. The Villans suffered a 2-0 loss away at Nottingham Forest recently which has halted their momentum ahead of this game.
Unai Emery will opt for a 4-4-2 formation and is expected to keep changes to a minimum for this game. Hence, Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby will lead the charge for the West Midlands club once again up top while Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore have to be content with a place on the bench.
4-4-2 Aston Villa Predicted Lineup To Face Alkmaar
Defence
Emiliano Martinez will operate in between the sticks for the Villans after shipping in a couple of goals in his last outing. Ezri Konsa will once again play alongside Pau Torres at the centre of Aston Villa’s backline as they try to keep the opposition at bay during the game.
Matty Cash will be a nailed-on starter at right-back while Lucas Digne hopes to prove his worth on the other side as the left-back. Both of them will get the license to get forward and join in on the attack at every chance they get.
Calum Chambers will offer cover for the defensive positions on the bench.
Midfield
Douglas Luiz will anchor the midfield alongside Boubacar Kamara as they focus on winning the 50-50 battles at the centre of the park. Nicolo Zaniolo will try to catch the eye on the left flank while John McGinn looks to put in another hard-working performance as the right-sided wide player.
Leander Dendoncker and Youri Tielemans will be named on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the second 45 minutes if Emery decides to call upon their services.
Attack
Moussa Diaby and Ollie Watkins will lead the line for the Villans in the final third. Both of them would be keen on causing problems for the Alkmaar defenders during the 90 minutes.
Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore have to settle for a spot on the bench as they wait for their chance to make an impact in the latter stages of the contest if Aston Villa are in need of a goal by then.
