Aston Villa can advance to the last 16 of the Emirates FA Cup as they play host to Chelsea in the fourth round replay on Wednesday night. Following on from a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge in the reverse tie, both teams will be eager to put on a better display this time around.
Unai Emery’s men will be full of confidence after thrashing Sheffield United by five goals to nil at the weekend, while Chelsea were humbled in a 4-2 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Nonetheless, it goes without saying that the Blues’ mega-money squad boasts a real threat.
With the Premier League a priority this season, one eye will definitely be on the trip to Fulham on Saturday and we reckon there will be some slight rotation as a result. Emery is unlikely to change things too much as to offer respect for Chelsea and the competition, but there will probably be changes.
With all of that in mind, here’s the Villa lineup we predict will take on Mauricio Pochettino’s side this midweek.
1. GK - Emi Martínez
Martínez has been the number one choice across all competitions and that’s expected to continue here.
2. RB - Matty Cash
Cash, who played well in the reverse tie at Stamford Bridge, is likely to be rotated into the XI as Ezri Konsa is a slight injury doubt.
3. CB - Diego Carlos
Carlos came back into the starting lineup at the weekend and played well as Villa kept a clean sheet. The Brazilian deserves to play again.
4. CB - Clément Lenglet
Lenglet is expected to continue his run of starts until Emery is absolutely sure about Pau Torres’ condition.