Aston Villa will be hoping to continue their remarkable run of form under Unai Emery as they face Brentford in the Premier League this afternoon.
The Midlands side are currently just six points off a Champions League spot, and having won their last five matches in a row, the momentum is currently with the Villans as they chase a European spot which seemed out of this world just six months ago.
Emery’s men have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the match today, with several big-name players such as Boubacar Kamara, Matty Cash and Philippe Coutinho still all on the treatment table.
The tie represents a major opportunity for Villa to secure another three points, while Brentford have struggled as of late, picking up just two points from their last five matches, and despite having a solid season, they will be hoping to end on a high note.
We at Football FanCast predict the starting XI that Emery will select for the crucial visit to the Gtech Community Stadium this afternoon.
How will Aston Villa line up against Brentford?
4-2-3-1: Emiliano Martinez; Ashley Young, Diego Carlos, Tyrone Mings, Alex Moreno; Leander Dendoncker, Douglas Luiz; John McGinn, Emiliano Buendia, Jacob Ramsey; Ollie Watkins
Martinez will keep his place in goal and the Argentinian ‘keeper has kept a clean sheet in four of his previous five matches – with Villa conceding just one goal in that time – and he will be hoping to enjoy a comfortable afternoon.
Young will continue to deputise at right-back due to Cash being unavailable, while Alex Moreno will keep his place on the left side of defence.
Despite enjoying some solid performances of late, we think Emery could drop Ezri Konsa to the bench and give a runout to Carlos. The £100k-per-week centre-half – who was dubbed a “monster” by Watkins – hasn’t started a match since August, but he has recovered from his knee injury that has ruled him out of the majority of the season. Mings will partner him at the heart of the defence.
Dendoncker and Luiz will form the midfield axis like they did against Newcastle and will be hoping to replicate their performances against the Magpies.
Emery will yet again deploy three attacking players behind a lone striker. McGinn and Ramsey will operate on the flanks as the Englishman aims to build on his impressive display last weekend, where he scored and provided an assist. Buendia will hope to make things happen in the number ten role directly behind the in-form Watkins, who has scored 12 goals since Christmas.
Another three points will propel Villa towards the promised land of European football, but Brentford will make it a tough match as they seek their first win in over a month.