Aston Villa predicted line-up vs. Luton Town: One major change as £28m star recalled

Aston Villa will head into the weekend quietly confident that they have what it takes to extend their stellar run of home form against recently-promoted Luton Town. A stunning 4-1 win over West Ham last time out now means that the Villans have not lost in the Premier League at Villa Park since February, while also moving Unai Emery’s side to within four points of top flight leaders Tottenham Hotspur.

For their part, Luton Town have struggled since their promotion from the Championship, but did pick up a point in their last outing courtesy of two late goals away at Nottingham Forest. The Hatters are currently 17th in the table, one point clear of the relegation zone, and have won just one of their opening nine matches.

But how will both sides line-up when they meet in the Midlands on Sunday afternoon? We’ve taken a look at the latest team news and predicted line-ups below...

Aston Villa Team News

Villa have endured their fair share of rotten injury luck already this season; Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia are both long-term absentees after suffering serious knee injuries, and their comeback is unlikely to be any time soon.

In slightly better news, Jacob Ramsey, who missed out on the win over West Ham with foot pain, could be back in contention sooner rather than later. Likewise, Alex Moreno is also approaching fitness, although in the case of both players only time will tell whether they are ready to feature on Sunday afternoon. Tim Iroegbunam is another name facing a wait to determine whether he will be available.

As things stand, Nicolo Zaniolo should be permitted to play. The Italian has been mentioned in relation to an ongoing investigation in his home country over alleged breaches of betting regulations in professional football, but it is understood that he is not a priority of authorities at the present moment in time.

Whether Emery looks to rotate his side slightly in key areas following Thursday’s continental clash against AZ Alkmaar remains to be seen.

Aston Villa Predicted XI

Emi Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezra Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne; John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz, Leon Bailey; Moussa Diaby, Ollie Watkins.

Luton Town Team News

Luton may have picked up a valuable point against Nottingham Forest last time out, but it came at a cost, with Reece Burke limping off injuried shortly before the hour mark. According to manager Rob Edwards, the defender remains a doubt ahead of the weekend, and will face a late assessment over his condition. Another lingering doubt is Amari’i Bell, who has been struggling with a hamstring injury, while Mads Andersen could be out until Christmas. Dan Potts and Albert Sambi Lokonga are unlikely to be involved.

Elsewhere, Gabe Osho, who has not featured for the first team since the Championship play-off final, came through 60 minutes of U21s action earlier in the week having watched last weekend’s sharing of the spoils from the bench.

Luton Town Predicted XI

Thomas Kaminski; Issa Kabore, Tom Lockyer, Mads Andersen, Teden Mengi, Alfie Doughty; Chiedozie Ogbene, Marvelous Nakamba, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, Tahith Chong; Carlton Morris, Jacob Brown.