Aston Villa may not have played particularly well against Lille in midweek, but they secured progress into the semifinals of the Europa Conference League courtesy of a penalty shootout win.
They return to Premier League duty this weekend, facing a tough clash against Bournemouth as they look to keep up momentum in the chase for a fourth-placed finish.
Unai Emery will be without the services of Douglas Luiz however, as the Brazilian is set to serve the second match of his two-game suspension, meaning the manager will have to rejig his midfield.
Douglas Luiz’s Statistics this season
The former Manchester City gem has arguably been one of Villa’s standout performers this season, registering 20 goal contributions – ten goals and ten assists – across 47 appearances in all competitions, offering a dangerous threat going forward.
From a defensive viewpoint, Luiz has won 4.5 total duels per game, along with making 1.8 tackles and recovering 5.5 balls per game in the top flight.
Metric
Europa Conference League
Premier League
Goals
0
9
Assists
4
5
Big chances created
3
9
Key passes per game
1.2
1.6
Total duels won per game
2.7
4.5
His presence will of course be missed, but Villa did cope fairly well without him against Arsenal. Emery deployed John McGinn and Youri Tielemans at the base of the midfield in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Having gone the full 120 minutes in midweek against Lille, perhaps some rotation will be required, especially in the centre of the park
This could see a change or two and the Spaniard may call upon the services of a young talent who has shown plenty of potential recently…
Why Tim Iroegbunam should start against Bournemouth
The 20-year-old has played 11 times for the senior side this season as he looks to emerge as a regular member of Emery’s first-team squad.
Across his seven appearances in the Premier League, Iroegbunam has completed 90% of his passes, succeeded with 60% of his dribble attempts and won 1.9 total duels per game – a success rate of 50% – which proves he has the required attributes to be a success in the top flight for Villa.
During a loan spell at QPR last season, the youngster played 32 times in the second tier, gaining significant first-team action, which has clearly worked in his favour this term.
His manager during his spell in the Championship, Gareth Ainsworth, praised the loanee for his performances, saying: "He is a player to keep your eye on. There are certain things that, I believe, if he can add them to his game he will be a top-class player – he glides past people and can finish with both feet."
There is no doubt he has a tremendous future ahead, but it already looks as though Emery is gradually weaning him into senior action at Villa.
A start against Bournemouth could give him the opportunity to showcase his talents yet again, proving to the former Arsenal boss that he could be a key member of the side during the final few weeks of the campaign.
All that matters on Sunday is a win and securing three points.
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