Unai Emery is expected to shake up his Aston Villa lineup with up to ten changes as the team prepares to face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, November 2. Following a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup, Emery now faces important decisions for Villa’s return to Premier League action in North London.
One of the likely changes is goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who could return to the starting XI in place of Joe Gauci. Martinez, fresh from winning his second Yashin Trophy, brings invaluable experience that could be crucial against a challenging Spurs attack.
In central defense, both Tyrone Mings and Diego Carlos might make way after an unconvincing performance from Carlos against Crystal Palace, where he made a notable error and won only 33% of his tackles, according to FotMob. Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres could come in as replacements to strengthen Villa’s backline.
At full-back, Emery is likely to bring back Lucas Digne, with Ian Maatsen potentially dropping out after a lackluster showing against Palace, where he failed to complete any dribbles, crosses, or long balls. Matty Cash could also return, taking the spot of Kosta Nedeljkovic, despite Nedeljkovic’s solid performance, where he won all his tackles and five duels.
In midfield, John McGinn may retain his spot, though Boubacar Kamara and Emi Buendia are likely to make way for Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana. This switch could add stability and attacking creativity, even though Kamara had an impressive 87% pass accuracy and won nine duels in the last match.
Offensively, Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey are expected to return to the lineup after sitting out the EFL Cup clash. Jaden Philogene and Leon Bailey could make way, particularly as Philogene completed only 30% of his dribbles against Palace.
Up front, Jhon Duran, who scored in the recent defeat, is anticipated to start on the bench. Despite his goal, Duran recorded a pass accuracy of just 65% and missed a significant scoring chance. Ollie Watkins is likely to reclaim the striker’s role, aiming to add a sharper edge to Villa’s attack against Spurs.
With this anticipated lineup, Emery is looking to re-establish Villa’s strength in the Premier League, as they aim to get back to winning ways on Sunday.