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Aston Villa vs. Leeds United Predicted XI: Is This The Final Clash?

By Josh Tonti

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - APRIL 06: Albert Adomah of Aston Villa celebrates scoring his sides second goal with Tammy Abraham during the Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa at Hillsborough Stadium on April 06, 2019 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - APRIL 06: Albert Adomah of Aston Villa celebrates scoring his sides second goal with Tammy Abraham during the Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa at Hillsborough Stadium on April 06, 2019 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images) /
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Aston Villa Football Club travels to Elland Road to face Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United. This might not be the final clash between the two sides.

Fresh off securing a place in the EFL Championship play-offs for a second year running, Dean Smith’s Aston Villa are back in action on Sunday. Elland Road is the venue between two of England’s heavyweights in the second division.

But it might not be the final time the two sides are pitted against one another before season’s end. As it stands, Leeds and Villa remain likeliest to finish third and fifth, respectively. Should both clubs be victorious in their semi-final matchups, they would contend for the final promotion spot back to the Premier League.

Sunday’s game could be a good test, albeit, both sides are weakened through injuries. Leeds are without noted Villa-killer Kemar Roofe, and left-backs Barry Douglas and Ezgjan Alioski. The claret and blues announced Axel Tuanzebe is good-to-go after missing last weekend’s fixture. Additionally, James Chester and Kortney Hause have returned to training, but this game will (likely) come too soon for the pair.

Aston Villa Predicted XI (4-3-3): Steer; Elmohamady, Tuanzebe, Mings, Taylor; Whelan, McGinn, Grealish; Adomah, Kodjia, El Ghazi

Substitutes: Sarkic, Hutton, Elphick, Hourihane, Lansbury, Green, Davis

Will Dean Smith rest certain key players? It’s certainly possible, but I think that will eventually come at the penultimate game vs. Norwich. There, we should see Jed Steer, Ahmed Elmohamady, Tyrone Mings, John McGinn, Jack Grealish and Anwar El Ghazi sit out completely in advance of the semi-finals.

If Tuanzebe is fully fit, expect him to partner Mings in central defense. The bench is where it gets tricky because Tommy Elphick, Chester and Mile Jedinak will compete for one or two spots. In midfield, Glenn Whelan is expected to continue, but it wouldn’t be too shocking to see Conor Hourihane in a deep-lying playmaker role.

Next. Keep. The. Momentum. Going.. dark

WHEN: Sunday, 29 April, 2019

WHERE: Elland Road

PREDICTION: 2-2 (Kodjia, El Ghazi)

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