Birmingham Mail
Steven Gerrard has named his Aston Villa starting line-up for tonight’s showdown with Leeds United with Ashley Young taken out for the fit-again Lucas Digne.
It means Calum Chambers retains his place for Villa with Ezri Konsa amongst the subs after he, like Digne, was forced to pull out of last weekend’s 4-0 win over Southampton due to Covid issues.
Villa, meanwhile, are hunting their third win on the spin this evening which will catapult them back into the top half ahead of Sunday’s meeting at West Ham.
To the line-up and Gerrard has stuck to his guns, playing his favoured 4-3-1-2 system with man-of-the-moment Philippe Coutinho just behind Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins, the latter scoreless in all nine of his appearances against Leeds.
Emi Martinez is in goal once again as he goes in search of his ninth clean sheet while, ahead of him, it’s Matty Cash, Chambers, Tyrone Mings and Digne.
John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey make up the midfield trio which will provide a solid platform for Villa’s in-form frontline of Coutinho, Ings and Watkins.
Here’s Villa’s squad in full ahead of tonight’s 7.45pm kick-off at Elland Road:
ASTON VILLA, 4-3-1-2: Martinez; Cash, Chambers, Mings, Young; McGinn, Douglas Luiz, J.Ramsey; Coutinho; Ings, Watkins.
SUBSTITUTES: Olsen, Konsa, Buendia, Sanson, Traore, Bailey, Chukwuemeka, Iroegbunam.
