Aston Villa will be hoping to put their recent 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League behind them as they face Ajax this evening.
Unai Emery’s men escaped Amsterdam with a 0-0 draw last week, meaning that a win of any kind will send them through to the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League.
The loss to Spurs halted the momentum that the Midlands side had been building, and several players were underwhelming to say the least.
This could force Emery to make a couple of changes, with Youri Tielemans one who could well be dropped from the starting XI that takes on the Dutch giants.
Youri Tielemans’ game in numbers vs Spurs
The Spaniard deployed a 3-5-2 formation which featured Tielemans on the left of a three-man midfield.
The Belgian failed to impress, however, completing only seven passes during his time on the pitch, along with taking 21 touches, having zero shots on target, and attempting zero dribbles.
Accurate passes
7/10
Touches
21
Total shots
0
Key passes
0
Big chances created
0
Via Sofascore
The former Leicester City midfielder was largely ineffective and was subbed off in the 58th minute to make way for Moussa Diaby.
The change in formation did not help the side and Emery could perhaps turn towards utilising a 4-2-3-1 system against Ajax tonight.
This could see Tielemans dropped to the bench, with the former Paris Saint-Germain manager calling on Morgan Rogers to come into the starting XI on the left wing.
The Aston Villa star to replace Youri Tielemans
Rogers joined the club from Middlesbrough in the January transfer window for a fee which could potentially rise to £16m as Emery bolstered his attacking options for the final few months of the campaign.
He was clearly enticed by Rogers’ effectiveness in the final third, which enabled the 21-year-old to score seven goals and grab nine assists for Boro before making the move to the Premier League.
He has made just four appearances for Villa thus far, but he did look lively against Ajax last week during the first leg.
The “outstanding” dynamo – as so dubbed by former boss Michael Appleton – took the game to the Ajax defence as he succeeded with five of his six attempted dribbles during his spell on the pitch, along with having a shot off target.
Defensively, the youngster did not allow himself to be fazed by the occasion, and he won seven of the ten ground duels that he contested, while also making a tackle. This maturity to not be bullied easily off the ball could see him unleashed in the second leg.
Rogers remained on the bench for the defeat to Spurs, which means that he will be fresh and raring to go against the Eredivisie side.
It will be a tough challenge, no doubt about it, but considering Villa have defeated Manchester City, Arsenal and Spurs this season, they are a match for anyone on their day.
Emery will certainly tinker with his starting XI ahead of tonight’s match, but given how solid he looked last Thursday, surely Rogers will be unleashed from the very first whistle at Villa Park this evening.