Tomorrow at Walsall, Aston Villa’s preseason gets underway as Steven Gerrard keeps a close eye on his first-team group. A depleted Villa team will play at Banks’s Stadium; certain players, including Boubacar Kamara, Lucas Digne, Matty Cash, and John McGinn, came in Australia early in preparation for the club’s tour, which kicks off the following week.
Following yesterday’s recuperation day, Villa will undergo another double session at Bodymoor Heath today (Friday). Meanwhile, the newly appointed assistant head coach Neil Critchley has discussed what he and Gerrard want to gain from tomorrow’s practise in Walsall.
“We’ve spoken about it during the first few days as to who will play and how many minutes are distributed,” he added. You’re always making plans and getting ready.
First and foremost, it’s about giving athletes’ legs a chance to rest; avoidable injuries are not desired. However, it’s possible that you’re just trying to get the players accustomed to playing together once more and aren’t seeking for big connections on the field.
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Even in the first game, you want to establish your identity for the squad. Our goal is to create a winning culture. Footballers love to play football, so they’ll be eager to go out onto the field against Walsall on Saturday as it’s our first game in a while (1pm kick-off).
Given the talents at his disposal, BirminghamLive selects two lineups that Gerrard may likely experiment with against Walsall.
Most-senior Aston Villa XI: Sinisalo; Guilbert; Chambers, Mings, Young; Douglas Luiz, Nakamba, Sanson; Buendia; Watkins, Ings
This starting lineup is Villa’s strongest possible lineup, excluding the inclusion of Diego Carlos, who the club just signed for £26 million, along with one of Calum Chambers or Tyrone Mings.
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Emi Buendia will have a strong opportunity to play as the lone No. 10 behind an Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings front two because Philippe Coutinho is currently in Australia. Frederic Guilbert, who started the previous season on loan at Strasbourg, will be looking to make a solid first impression on Gerrard at right-back.
Experiment Aston Villa XI: Marschall, Diego Carlos, Feeney, Chrisene, Azaz, Nakamba, O’Reilly, Philogene-Bidace, Archer, and Traore
With Emi Martinez and Robin Olsen both in Australia, Gerrard may choose Filip Marschall, a 19-year-old goalkeeper, for a more intriguing lineup. Given Burton Albion’s keen interest in borrowing Viljami Sinisalo for the first half of the season, Marschall is most likely going to be the third choice.
According to reports, Jed Steer’s Achilles injury will keep him out until November, therefore Marschall could be maintained as backup to Martinez and Olsen.
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Kaine Kesler Hayden will also play a lot throughout preseason, and Gerrard will get to witness how 17-year-old Josh Feeney, 18-year-old Tommi O’Reilly, and 18-year-old left-back Ben Chrisene do against League Two competition.
While Cameron Archer will be eager to extend his hot streak in his hometown of Walsall, the manager will also want to have a good look at Jaden Philogene-Bidace.
Anwar El Ghazi and Leon Bailey are both scheduled to play tomorrow, while a combination of Villa’s under-23s and under-18s will play Chasetown tonight evening at 7:45 p.m. In Staffordshire, a few FA Youth Cup champions from Aston Villa are anticipated to play. The gate has tickets available.
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