Aston Villa vs. Reading: Predicted lineup ahead of short turnaround

Less than 72 hours separates Villa’s 2-2 draw with Brentford and another home match vs. Reading. With such a short turnaround, will new signing Anwar El Ghazi feature on the wing?

Aston Villa’s enthralling, yet highly-frustrating 2-2 draw with Brentford leaves the claret and blues with eight points through four league games. On paper, an exciting start, but on-field struggles have seen Villa lose in expected goals in four of their opening five games.

This team is capable of so much more.

Enter: Reading, struggling to score goals at the moment. The Royals return most of their key contributors from previous seasons, including defenders Liam Moore, Tiago Ilori and Paul McShane. In midfield, John Swift pulls the string from a creative perspective, aided by wingers Modou Barrow and Sone Aluko. Up top, Iceland international Jon Dadi Bödvarsson accounts for all three of Reading’s league goals.

For Aston Villa, not much changes from a news perspective before Saturday’s match. Scott Hogan and Keinan Davis are still a ways away, while Yannick Bolasie has yet to be officially announced (at the time of this writing).

Predicted Aston Villa XI (4-1-4-1): Nyland; Elmohamady, Chester (c), Tuanzebe, Taylor; Bjarnason; El Ghazi, McGinn, Grealish, Green; Kodjia.

Substitutes: Moreira, Jedinak, Hutton, Whelan, Hourihane, Adomah, Hepburn-Murphy.

Ørjan Nyland continues in net, but time constraints could see a major shake-up in the defense. Ahmed Elmohamady is likely to slide into right fullback more often with the additions of El Ghazi and Bolasie. After 90 minutes midweek for Mile Jedinak, now would be a good time to experiment with Axel Tuanzebe at centre-back.

Three games in a week is too much for the 34-year old; especially so if he’s to be counted on throughout the season. Anwar El Ghazi is a lock to be in the matchday squad. But is that in the starting XI? Or from the bench?

André Green replaces Albert Adomah in the lineup after the Ghanaian international started vs. Brentford and dealt with a small hamstring problem. The rest of the lineup speaks for itself.

WHEN: Saturday, August 25, 2018 @ 3:00 p.m. GMT / 10:00 a.m. EST

WHERE: Villa Park – Aston, Birmingham, England

PREDICTION: 4-1 Aston Villa (Kodjia, Grealish, El Ghazi, Tuanzebe).