Aston Villa begin 2024 occupying second place in the Premier League table in what has been a wonderful campaign so far for the Midlands outfit.
Unai Emery has totally reinvigorated the club since taking over from Steven Gerrard, and the supporters will be hoping he can end their 28-year major trophy drought this term.
The Spaniard will not be resting on his laurels despite defeating the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal recently to take the top flight by storm, especially with the club still in three competitions.
Indeed, they have qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League while they face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on Friday night.
The FA Cup could represent an ideal chance to claim a trophy and this could influence Emery’s choice of starting XI.
Latest Aston Villa transfer news: Unai eyes £40m deal; Saudi club want star
It’s a huge summer for Aston Villa and Unai Emery as they prepare for the Champions League.
ByEmilio GalantiniJul 11, 2024
We at Football FanCast have predicted that the manager will make four changes to his lineup from the one that beat Burnley 3-2 for the away trip to Middlesbrough, but they should still have enough quality to see off the Championship side.
1 GK – Emiliano Martínez
The Argentinian shot-stopper will keep his place for the cup tie, having played in all but five matches during the current season.
Martinez has kept just six clean sheets across all competitions for Villa, yet this does not appear to have hindered their performances as they remain on course for their finest season this century.
2 RB – Calum Chambers
Matty Cash missed the defeat to Manchester United due to suspension, while illness robbed him of a place in the side that won against Burnley, but Emery may rest him for this one.
Chambers has made just three appearances this term, with none coming in the Premier League, yet it could be a chance for him to gain a rare start for Villa this season.
3 CB – Ezri Konsa
Centre-back is a position in which Villa has solid strength, as Emery can call on Konsa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, and Clement Lenglet.
The Englishman will retain his place from the victory over Burnley, and he has missed just one match all season, proving to the Spaniard that he can be relied on.
4 CB – Clement Lenglet
The on-loan Barcelona defender has featured in Villa’s previous three Premier League matches having failed to make it off the bench in the previous 17 games and the tie against Boro represents an opportunity for another run out.
Lenglet started all but one of the Europa Conference League group matches, and it gives Emery the chance to rest Carlos ahead of tougher fixtures.
5 LB – Alex Moreno
With Lucas Digne currently injured and expected to miss all of Villa’s matches this month, Moreno will be called upon by Emery to be the main option at left-back.
The Spaniard returned to action following his own injury issues against Legia Warsaw in November and proceeded to score in what was an eventual 2-1 win.
The clash against Boro will be just his tenth start of the campaign, and he could forge his way into Emery’s plans due to the injury to Digne.
6 RM – Leon Bailey
The former Bayer Leverkusen winger has been in exceptional form this season, giving Emery a solid attacking outlet on the right-hand side of his midfield.
Indeed, the winger has netted nine goals and grabbed eight assists across all competitions, and he will be deployed on the right against the Championship side with the hopes of scoring in the third competition he has played in this term.
7 CM – John McGinn
The Scot has been an almost-ever-present in the Villa side this season, starting 27 of their 29 fixtures so far during 2023/24, and he will be expected to play against Boro.
The midfielder has also been a decent source of goals too, finding the back of the net on seven occasions as he always looks to push forward whenever possible.
In his previous two matches against Boro, McGinn has scored and provided an assist, and another goal contribution or two tomorrow will go a long way to the club securing a place in the next round.
8 CM – Boubacar Kamara
The Frenchman has missed Villa’s previous three matches due to suspension and the club missed his presence in the heart of the midfield as they won just one of those three league clashes.
A tie against second tier opposition is an ideal match for him to return and be unleashed in the starting XI, especially considering he hasn’t played since the 17th December against Brentford.
With a 90% pass completion rate in the Premier League this term, expect Kamara to dictate the play against Boro as Villa look to progress in the FA Cup tomorrow.
9 LM – Nicolo Zaniolo
The Italian has not quite had the greatest impact since joining from Galatasaray on a season-long loan, but playing against Boro could allow him to thrive on the left-hand side of the midfield.
The 24-year-old has more yellow cards than goals this season so far (six vs two) and he will need to improve over the coming weeks in order to convince Emery that he can be relied upon during the final stages of the campaign.
10 ST – Jhon Duran
The youngster – Jhon Duran – will take the place of Moussa Diaby for the cup tie in what will be a rare start in attack.
The £130k-per-week “bright spark” – as so dubbed by Leon Osman earlier this season – Diaby could be rested for the tie against Boro as Emery will rotate his side accordingly.
Villa's French whiz has scored just five times this season and while Duran has only netted four times, the 20-year-old has started just six matches all campaign.