Aston Villa are hovering around the relegation zone as they are just a point above 18th placed West Ham United. After conceding a last gasp winner against Tottenham, Villa will hope for a more controlled performance when they travel to the St. Mary’s to take on Southampton. The Saints managed a 3-1 win at Villa Park in December.
The Saints have managed to turn their season around, but they suffered three defeats in their last four games. Nevertheless, they are still seven points clear of the dreaded 18th spot. Villa will know that these are the kind of games where they need to pick up points.
Villa’s next two Premier League encounters are against Leicester City and Chelsea. Hence, this game will undoubtedly be a crucial one for them. However, they will face Manchester City in the League Cup final before those matches, so Smith has three big encounters coming up for him.
Team News: Wesley Moraes, Tom Heaton, Keinan Davis, Jed Steer and John McGinn are out of this match because of their respective injuries. Tyrone Mings missed the last tie due to tonsillitis, but he should be available for this encounter.
3-4-3 Aston Villa Predicted Lineup Vs Southampton
Formation (3-4-3)
Defence
Pepe Reina put in a terrific display against Tottenham, but he was unlucky as his side succumbed to a defeat. The former Liverpool goalkeeper will start in goal. Tyrone Mings was severely missed in the last game as his replacement Bjorn Engels gave away a penalty and made a costly error in the end which allowed Spurs to win the game. Hence, Mings should be back in the heart of the defence. Ezri Konsa is expected to feature as the right-sided centre back. Kortney Hause will start on the left side of the back three.
Midfield
Matt Targett will feature in a wing-back role from the left. Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz is expected to keep his place in the middle. The experienced Danny Drinkwater could get a start over Marvelous Nakamba in midfield. Frederic Guilbert will look to bomb forward as well to help his side in defence from the right side.
Attack
A lot will undoubtedly rest on Jack Grealish’s shoulders in the attacking third. He will have the onus of creating and scoring goals. The captain will start from the left flank. Anwar El Ghazi is likely to occupy the right-wing position. January signing Mbwanna Samatta is expected to begin over Borja Baston upfront.
