Aston Villa rotates quickly to a cup fixture on Wednesday. The claret and blue travel to Colchester in the opening round of the newly dubbed Carabao Cup. The match-up with the League Two side offers the chance for several fringe players and youth stars.
Aston Villa travels to Colchester Community Stadium on Wednesday, August 9 for 2:45PM Eastern Time kick-off.
With an important Championship match the following Saturday, expect Steve Bruce to rotate his squad heavily in the Carabao Cup. Against a League Two side who lost their opening fixture to Accrington Stanley, several teenagers could feature in the match.
John Terry will almost certainly not feature in the teamsheet. At 36, his importance remains in league competition. Likewise, it would be smart for manager Steve Bruce to save his partner James Chester as well. Who could feature in central defense? Pick two of: Chris Samba, 21-year old Kevin Toner, and 19-old Easah Suliman. Should Suliman play, he would make his Aston Villa senior debut.
At fullback, James Bree will handle the right back role. He’s in a heated competition with Alan Hutton for the starting spot, but lost out in the match against Hull City. Left back is a mystery as Steve Bruce should obviously rest Neil Taylor – the only senior LB that isn’t the departing Jordan Amavi. We could see a debut for Oscar Borg, or a more unconventional option like Leandro Bacuna, the left-footed Kevin Toner, Birkir Bjarnason, or even Amavi himself.
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Jed Steer will deputize Sam Johnstone in net.
The midfield will largely be determined by how Steve Bruce sets up his squad. I would be shocked if Callum O’Hare is not involved in the eighteen. Similarly, 18-year old Jake Doyle-Hayes could feature as well.
After staying rooted to the bench against Hull City, it’s time for Bruce to unshackle the legs of Conor Hourihane. Having the luxury of using Hourihane against a League Two side is an ode to Aston Villa’s depth.
Lastly, Keinan Davis might fill-in for Scott Hogan and Gabby Agbonlahor.
Here’s one way Aston Villa could line-up on Wednesday:
4-4-2: Steer; Bree, Samba, Toner, Amavi; Adomah, O’Hare, Hourihane, Bjarnason; Hepburn-Murphy, Davis
Substitutes: Sarkic, Suliman, Borg, Doyle-Hayes, Bacuna, Green, Hogan.