Aston Villa have the chance to record three Premier League wins in a row this evening as they take on Luton Town.
The first few weeks of 2024 saw Unai Emery’s endure their first major stumble of the season, but it looks as though they have rebounded well.
Against Nottingham Forest, the whole team performed well, and it was enough to secure a 4-2 victory. That being said, Emery may make a change or two to his starting, as the Spaniard certainly had enough quality on the bench to make a difference last weekend.
Youri Tielemans was solid alongside Ollie Watkins, yet he could be dropped to the bench for today's clash.
Youri Tielemans’ display vs Forest in numbers
Emery deployed a 4-4-2 against Forest last weekend, a formation he has used occasionally this season.
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Tielemans was the one to get the nod to partner Watkins up front, and he delivered a decent enough showing.
Not only did he hit the woodwork, but the Belgian made one key pass, succeeded with two of his three dribble attempts and won seven of his 11 ground duels contested.
The former Leicester City gem has not enjoyed the most productive start to his Villa career, but performances like this will go a long way to getting him onside with the supporters.
Against Luton, however, Emery must unleash Moussa Diaby, as the Frenchman could pose a bigger attacking threat to a defence that has conceded 51 goals this term.
Moussa Diaby’s season in numbers
The £130k-per-week winger has yet to hit the heights in England that saw him dominate the Bundesliga between 2019 and 2023, but in time, he should come good.
Diaby has scored six times and registered six assists so far for Villa, solid, if unspectacular figures, but he has yet to really enjoy a consistent run in the starting XI recently.
Goals
1
Assists
1
Key passes
1
Big chances created
1
Successful dribbles
1/2
Hailed as a “wildcard” by a scout during his spell in Germany, the former Paris Saint-Germain starlet shone against Luton during the reverse fixture earlier this season.
The 24-year-old both scored and assisted a goal, while creating a big chance, making one key pass, and succeeding with one dribble attempt against the Hatters, proving that he should be unleashed from the start against them today.
While he may not have had a lot of success in front of goal, Diaby has offered plenty more to this Villa side. Among his teammates, he currently ranks fifth for big chances created (eight) in the top flight, along with ranking sixth for key passes per game (1.2) and for successful dribbles per game (0.8), indicating that he has impressed in other ways.
Tielemans did not do much wrong against Forest, but with Diaby shining against the Hatters during their previous league clash this term, Emery may unleash the French dynamo in order to restore his confidence.
Another victory would certainly help consolidate fourth place for the Midlands side, and they can perhaps start to dream of playing in the Champions League next season.