Aston Villa predicted line-up vs. Spurs: Ten changes made from midweek despite Mings and Kamara boosts

Unai Emery will hope to extend Aston Villa’s seven-match unbeaten run in the Premier League when they make the potentially tricky trip down to the capital to face Ange Postecoglou’s inconsistent Tottenham Hotspur side on Sunday.

A much-changed Villa were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Crystal Palace in midweek, but the defeat also provided some positive news as it marked the first starts of the season for both Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara, who both played the full 90 minutes to mark their returns from long-term anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

That welcome boost means that Villa are close to a clean bill of health across the squad heading into this weekend’s game, with just one player out – we’ve got all of the latest team news and a predicted line-up below for you. Should you be here looking for any Fantasy Premier League news, incidentally, you can also find our resident expert’s latest hints and tips column by clicking right here.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, fresh from being awarded the Yashin Trophy for the world’s best goalkeeper for the second consecutive year at the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday night, will presumably take his starting place back after a midweek break, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll have Mings ahead of him on Sunday.

With Villa likely to be cautious with Mings’ fitness for now, it’s more likely that Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres resume their regular partnership at centre-half, with Lucas Digne starting at left-back ahead of Ian Maatsen and either Matty Cash or Lamar Bogarde on the right.

Midfield

As with Mings, defensive midfielder Kamara made a very welcome return to the fold on Wednesday but will likely be back on the bench this weekend despite playing the full game against Palace – Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans have formed an effective central pairing thus far this season and it will likely not be disrupted until Kamara is ready to play week in, week out again.

That means a choice between John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey, Jaden Philogene-Bidace and Leon Bailey for the wider roles – on current form, the first two seem more likely to get the nod, with Ramsey rested during midweek and McGinn having started the last three games since returning from injury. One player who won’t be selected is Ross Barkley, with Emery telling the media on Friday that he would be out for the next two matches with “a small injury.”

Forwards

Morgan Rogers, who was also given a rest against Palace, will most probably return to the line-up to tuck in behind Ollie Watkins, who is still the de facto starting striker in the Premier League despite Jhon Durán’s remarkable form both as a substitute and as a starter in cup competitions.

The Colombian, who drew a blank in a rare 90-minute outing on Wednesday night, will most likely be used as an impact sub once more. Emery will also hope that opponents Spurs are forced to get by without talismanic forward Son Heung-Min, who is a doubt thanks to an ankle injury.

Martínez; Digne, Torres, Konsa, Cash; Ramsey, Tielemans, Onana, McGinn; Rogers; Watkins.