Aston Villa team news: Pau Torres decision made as Unai Emery names line-up against Crystal Palace

Manager Unai Emery has named his team for Aston Villa’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace this evening.

Villa would close the gap between them and Premier League leaders Arsenal to three points with a win, but winning at Selhurst Park or indeed Palace in general isn’t a thing Villa tend to do.

Emery has made two changes to the team that started Saturday’s win against Nottingham Forest but defenders Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings, who are close to returning from injury, were not among them.

Torres is fit enough for the bench but there’s no place in the matchday squad for Mings. Ezri Konsa and Victor Lindelöf continue at centre-back.

Two changes to the starting eleven

Matty Cash plays at right-back at Selhurst Park but one of Emery’s pair of changes is at left-back, where Lucas Digne is restored to the starting line-up and Ian Maatsen drops to the bench.

There’s also a change further upfield, where Emi Buendía is among the substitutes to allow Jadon Sancho to start against Palace. The on-loan winger makes his second Premier League start for Villa.

Youngsters George Hemmings and Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba are on the bench again after making their senior debuts against Arsenal between Christmas and new year.

Villa team news in full

Starting XI: Martínez, Cash, Konsa, Lindelöf, Digne, Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn, Sancho, Rogers, Watkins

Substitutes: Bizot, Maatsen, Torres, Bogarde, García, Hemmings, Buendía, Malen, Jimoh-Aloba

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