Aston Villa vs. Wigan Athletic: Lovre Kalinic readies for league debut

Aston Villa travels to the DW Stadium in a crucial Championship match against Wigan. Jack Grealish and Axel Tuanzebe remain long-term absentees while Henri Lansbury picked-up a fresh knock.

Three points are up for grabs when Aston Villa Football Club takes on Wigan Athletic on Saturday. The Latics, rooted in 20th-place on a -15 goal differential, represent an opportunity for a morale boost.

Tensions were high after last weekend’s embarrassing defeat to Swansea City in the FA Cup. Ultimately, however, it’s in the past and the league is all that matters now. For Dean Smith, he’ll be without the services of Jack Grealish and Axel Tuanzebe once more. Both look like they’ll be out another month or more. To make matters worse, Henri Lansbury re-strained his hamstring during his substitute appearance. He’s a doubt against Wigan.

Aston Villa Predicted XI (4-3-3): Kalinic; Hutton, Elphick, Chester, Taylor; Bjarnason, McGinn, Hourihane; Bolasie, Abraham, Kodjia.

Substitutes: Steer, Hause, Elmohamady, Whelan, Adomah, El Ghazi, Hogan.

All of a sudden, the squad is very deep again. Lansbury ultimately misses out on a place, but so too could James Bree, Keinan Davis, and more with only eighteen places available.. Lovre Kalinic readies for his league debut after conceding three last weekend to the Swans. If Villa are to succeed in achieving their goals, the Croatian will have to be a key cog not only this year, but in the coming years as well.

Could Kortney Hause start immediately after his midweek arrival? It’s possible, as Tommy Elphick and Neil Taylor both started last weekend’s disastrous defensive display.

WHEN: Saturday, 12 December, 2019

WHERE: DW Stadium

PREDICTION: 3-1 Aston Villa victory (Abraham, McGinn, Bjarnason).