Unai Emery faces three major dilemmas as he prepares to face Tottenham.
Aston Villa travel to London this weekend in search of a win that will propel them into the top four and above Tottenham Hotspur.
Ange Postecoglou’s side host Villa on Sunday (2 p.m. kick-off) after losing to Chelsea and Wolves in the league before the November international break. Spurs will be missing several players due to injury, including James Maddison and Micky van de Ven, as well as Christian Romero and Yves Bissouma, who are both suspended.
Tottenham had won eight of their first ten league games before falling from top spot following consecutive defeats, where they were beaten 4-1 by Chelsea and then lost two late goals in second half added time at Molineux two weeks ago. Villa, meanwhile, returned to winning ways last time out, beating Fulham 3-1 at home after a 2-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Villa’s away form has been a source of concern in the first three months of the season, with the club winning just two of their first six away games. After facing Spurs, Emery’s team will travel to Bournemouth, giving Villa the opportunity to improve their away record.
After enjoying some time away from the training ground in the first half of the international break, Emery worked hard with his squad at Bodymoor Heath to prepare for Sunday’s match. He has a few selection dilemmas, including whether he recalls Nicolo Zaniolo or Leon Bailey to the XI – after Youri Tielemans started ahead of them against Fulham – or even Diego Carlos, who started away games against Burnley, Liverpool and Wolves earlier in the season. Alex Moreno could also make his first start of the season after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Emi Martinez will start in goal, with Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres set to continue in defence. Carlos is an option for Emery, but he may stick with the same defensive structure he has deployed in recent weeks, with Matty Cash and Lucas Digne playing as full-backs, while Boubacar Kamara drops in from midfield when in possession.
