Aston Villa return to Villa Park this evening, as Unai Emery’s side welcome AZ Alkmaar to the Midlands in the fourth match of the Europa Conference League group stage.
The Villans sit in second in Group E, level on points with leaders Legia Warsaw, and will be hoping to move closer to progressing into the next round with a result tonight against Dutch opposition.
Last time out in the competition, the Premier League outfit slayed AZ 4-1 in the Netherlands, leaving Pascal Jansen’s side jaded ahead of their vital clash against Emery’s in-form squad this evening.
Aston Villa team news vs AZ Alkmaar
Despite recording a stellar run of form of late, Villa will be desperate to get back to winning ways after suffering a shock defeat to Nottingham Forest in their most recent fixture in the league.
Due to results elsewhere in the table, the result didn’t affect the Villans’ stance in being within touching distance of the top four in fifth place, placing more emphasis on Sunday’s game against Fulham.
With this in mind, Emery may opt to once more rotate his squad in the Conference League, however, the Spaniard admitted in his pre-match press conference that he is still somewhat undecided on what team to select to start against AZ.
Relating to injuries, the manager confirmed that Matty Cash will be in the squad after overcoming a “small problem”, while Alex Moreno is fit for selection following his return to training and recovering from a hamstring injury.
Jacob Ramsey will not be match fit in time for this evening, but Emery gave a positive update on the midfielder, saying that he will be back in training after the international break.
The boss has some decisions to make in terms of his selected XI to face AZ, with one name potentially poised to start after a slow start to life in the Midlands.
The stats that show Youri Tielemans should start against AZ Alkmaar
After signing for Villa in the summer as a free agent from Leicester City, midfielder Youri Tielemans could retain his place in the starting XI in the Europa Conference League, despite not starting a league game yet this term.
The Belgian has shared his frustrations with his lack of minutes to the media following his move, although after his performance last time out against AZ, the 26-year-old could have a strong claim to start once more in Europe.
Emery shared his opinion pre-match that the £150k-per-week ace is “progressively feeling better” after his frustrating start, leaving a window for the manager to rest Moussa Diaby and place his trust in Tielemans this evening.
The Frenchman is yet to start a Conference League fixture for Villa, however has started every Premier League game this term, paving the way for the £51.9m capture to earn a break and allow other members of the squad to show their worth.
Once lauded as "incredible" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the quality that the former Leicester whiz possesses is unquestionable, with the task there for Villa to squeeze the best out of their summer acquisition, with the Conference League presenting the perfect opportunity.
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As highlighted in the table above, Tielemans thrived last time he faced AZ, playing in an advanced role in Emery’s favoured 4-4-2, leading the attack with Ollie Watkins to flex his prowess in the final third.
In his three appearances in the tournament this term, the Belgium international averages a stellar two key passes per game and sports a 7.43 match rating, via Sofascore, suggesting that the manager could unlock his best form by utilising his strengths in the competition.
Handing Tielemans more confidence with the chance to find his footing at Villa Park would only work to Emery’s advantage, with the opportunity there to increase the competition within the squad to promote a higher level of performance.