Aston Villa team news as Unai Emery makes EIGHT changes to Europa League line-up against Basel
Manager Unai Emery has named his team for Aston Villa’s Europa League match against Basel this evening.
Villa have won four of their five Europa League matches in the league phase but lost their most recent away fixture in the competition against Go Ahead Eagles in October.
Emery has shuffled the pack in Villa’s defence, keeping Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa in the side but switching Victor Lindelöf and Lucas Digne back in, presumably at left centre-back and left-back respectively.
Lamare Bogarde has been selected as one of the eight changes from Saturday’s win against Arsenal in the Premier League and will play alongside Amadou Onana in midfield.
There’s also a change in goal. Marco Bizot plays from the start and Emiliano Martínez isn’t in the matchday squad at all.
Villa change their entire front four
The rest of Emery’s eight changes are at the top end of the pitch, where the manager has swapped out his entire quartet from the weekend.
Donyell Malen gets the nod at centre-forward ahead of Ollie Watkins, while Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Morgan Rogers all drop to the bench.
Evann Guessand has been picked in the right forward spot, where he can link up with Cash and has a great chance to show us what he’s all about with and without the ball at Basel.
Emery has sought to capitalise on another pairing on the left, hooking Malen up with former Borussia Dortmund teammate Jadon Sancho. The former England international also has a big opportunity at St Jakob-Park this evening.
The central 10 position looks as if it’ll be filled by Saturday’s hero, Emi Buendía, who plays from the start tonight after his epic cameo against Arsenal.
Villa team news in full
Starting XI: Bizot, Cash, Konsa, Lindelöf, Digne, Bogarde, Onana, Guessand, Buendía, Sancho, Malen
Substitutes: Oakley, Wright, Maatsen, García, Hemmings, McGinn, Kamara, Tielemans, Rogers, Watkins
How to watch Basel v Villa
➡️ How to watch Basel v Aston Villa: kick-off time, TV channels and streams
➡️ Basel v Aston Villa: predicted line-up, team news and match preview
The post Aston Villa team news as Unai Emery makes EIGHT changes to Europa League line-up against Basel appeared first on AVillaFan.com – Aston Villa Fan Site.