Aston Villa v Zrinjski Mostar - Match preview
Unai Emery has vowed to keep the faith in Villa’s squad for tonight’s ‘must-win’ Europa Conference League tie with Zrinjski Mostar.
The boss is expected to tinker with his team despite the added pressure caused by last month’s 3-2 defeat at Legia Warsaw, when a Villa team featuring five changes stumbled out of the Group E blocks.
At least two changes tonight will be enforced, with Boubacar Kamara and Moussa Diaby having failed to recover from the knocks they sustained late in Saturday’s 6-1 win over Brighton. Jacob Ramsey, who might have been handed a first start since returning from injury, will also be absent.
Yet Emery’s tone during yesterday’s pre-match press conference suggested he was planning changes regardless, with Villa’s head coach insisting the strength of his squad had not been shaken by the defeat in Warsaw or last week’s Carabao Cup exit to Everton, when several fringe players failed to grasp their chance.
Villa have won their last three Premier League matches with an unchanged starting XI but while Emery acknowledged the importance of winning tonight’s match, to avoid falling into a hole early in the competition, managing the minutes of key players is clearly a major consideration too.
Asked if he would be more cautious about changes to the team, he replied: “No because we have to be competitive, playing with different players. We have to be ready to get our performances playing with a different set-up.
