Aston Villa vs. QPR: Expected Starting XI in rescheduled affair
By Josh Tonti
Steve Bruce is expected to call upon a largely unchanged starting XI, though one or two places could see switches.
Ten matches to go.
Aston Villa host Queens Park Rangers in a rescheduled affair following that huge blizzard that engulfed much of the United Kingdom about a week and a half ago. Ian Holloway’s QPR travel to Villa Park on the heels of a narrow 1-0 victory over Sunderland. The Rangers were able to see off the Black Cats courtesy of a 49th-minute red card from ‘keeper Jason Steele.
Of note, 19-year old forward Eberechi Eze scored and excelled from the left wing position. Certainly someone for Villa to watch out for alongside leading goalscorer Matt Smith.
Projected Aston Villa XI (4-1-4-1): Johnstone; Elmohamady, Chester, Terry (c), Taylor; Jedinak; Snodgrass, Grealish, Hourihane, Adomah; Grabban.
The real question here is whether or not Mile Jedinak starts Tuesday evening. He will most certainly be used at the weekend, on the road against Bolton Wanderers. We’ve seen the 33-year old break down over extended playing periods. Three games in seven days in just not conducive to peak performance. We’ll see whether or not Steve Bruce elects to use the Australia skipper.
Glenn Whelan remains out with a leg injury so Birkir Bjarnason would replace Jedi if so.
Substitutes: Bunn, Bree, Bjarnason, Lansbury, Onomah, Hogan, Davis.
Axel Tuanzebe and Alan Hutton are to be assessed before the match. Both are approaching a return, but they sound more doubtful than probable against Rangers. It seems as though James Bree has catapulted Chris Samba in the center back depth chart. Or perhaps it’s simply because he’s the reserve fullback, but he made the bench versus Wolves.
Scott Hogan could always reclaim a starting role too, but Lewis Grabban is too hot at the moment. If this one gets out of hand early, expect Aston Villa to make some early substitutes.
Prediction: 2-1 Aston Villa victory (Grealish, Adomah) (Luongo).
I expect Villa to win with some authority, but the “hangover effect” might come into play. The dramatic thumping of Wolves could have drained energy levels with such a short turnaround. Massimo Luongo to score for QPR.