Aston Villa remain optimistic ahead of the UEFA Super Cup duel despite the shocking update on their squad.
Aston Villa are set to take on PSG for the UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg. They are not only aiming for victory and another silverware. Their boss, Unai Emery, believes the win would be vital to help promote the Aston Villa brand to the world.
Unfortunately, the latest update might be a bit shocking for the fans. Villa would not be including their key men who were playing at the world cup in the squad despite having them on the squad list. Emiliano Martínez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins.
Such is surely not ideal for the team who is ambitious to lift another trophy. Yet, Emery seems to be confident and optimistic ahead of the clash. He has been through such situations before.
He shared his view to the press as reported in avfc.co.uk.
“Of course tomorrow we are not going to be in our best moment, because I played three times in the Super Cup, and more or less all the matches we played were in August. It is more or less similar.
“But tomorrow we are going to compete. We are preparing this game with the players we started with four weeks ago, even some young players, and tomorrow, I expect to compete.”
With the absence of Martinez, Konsa and Watkins, Villa appears to rely on the remaining best players they have in the squad.
Between the sticks, Marco Bizot is expected to be the main figure. The Dutchman has experienced taking over the Argentine’s spot at the last minute several times last season.
The clash against Nottingham Forest on the road which ended in a 1-1 draw was one of them. Bizot also featured when Villa snatched a stunning 2-1 win over Manchester City in the final week of Premier League. The former Stade Brestois goalie performed well in several games in Europa League, including the first two fixtures during the league phase versus Bologna and Feyenoord.
Meanwhile, at the backline for Konsa’s replacement, either Tyrone Mings or Victor Lindelof would be paired up with Pau Torres at the heart of the backline. The Swede might be selected ahead of Mings as he could offer flexibility by taking up the defensive midfielder role. Such would help the tactical fluidity in the middle of the game. Alternatively, both can play together with Mings as a centre back and Lindelof as defensive midfielder.
Last but not least, without Ollie Watkins, frankly The Lions have limited options upfront. Tammy Abraham is the best choice to lead the line but to play against PSG, Emery would need a more agile, versatile speedy forward who could penetrate the final third with great positioning, clinical finish as well as excels at pressing the opposition side too. Thus, the youngster Brian Madjo is likely to get a nod in the starting XI. He has been added to the A list squad alongside the fullback Tristan Rowe.
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