Full starting line-ups and benches for Aston Villa vs Man Utd. Clark injured, possibly ill, Hogg starts. Stephen Ireland has flu I believe. The weakest bench we’ve ever assembled for a game like this?
Aston Villa
1
Brad Friedel
29
James Collins
5
Richard Dunne
2
Luke Young
3
Stephen Warnock
28
Jonathan Hogg
25
Barry Bannan
12
Marc Albrighton
6
Stewart Downing
7
Ashley Young
11
Gabriel Agbonlahor
Subs
22
Brad Guzan
14
Nathan Delfouneso
27
Isaiah Osbourne
30
Eric Lichaj
31
Chris Herd
35
Daniel Johnson
34
Shane Lowry
Man Utd
1
Edwin van der Sar
5
Rio Ferdinand
15
Nemanja Vidic
3
Patrice Evra
6
Wes Brown
16
Michael Carrick
24
Darren Fletcher
17
Nani
13
Park Ji-Sung
14
Javier Hernández
9
Dimitar Berbatov
Subs
40
Ben Amos
12
Chris Smalling
20
Fabio
22
John O’Shea
26
Gabriel Obertan
27
Federico Macheda
28
Darron Gibson
Man Utd come to Villa Park on Saturday for the early kick off game. For all the talk of being a point off of 5th place, we’re a full eight points behind Utd and they’re a point worse off than they were after 12 games last season. At that same point, we were just four points behind with 21 to their 25 points.
The league record against Utd at Villa Park makes sobering reading, the 1-1 and 0-0 draws
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Aston Villa
1
Brad Friedel
2
Luke Young
3
Stephen Warnock
29
James Collins
5
Richard Dunne (Cptn)
21
Ciaran Clark
25
Barry Bannan
6
Stewart Downing
12
Marc Albrighton
7
Ashley Young
14
Nathan Delfouneso
Subs
22
Brad Guzan
9
Stephen Ireland
11
Gabriel Agbonlahor
45
Shane Lowry
30
Eric Lichaj
35
Daniel Johnson
50
Jonathan Hogg
Blackpool
28
Richard Kingson
24
Rob Edwards
31
Dekel Keinan
29
David Carney
23
Matthew Phillips
19
Ludovic Sylvestre
4
Keith Southern
18
Jason Euell
17
Chris Basham
10
Brett Ormerod
9
Marlon Harewood
Subs
21
Matthew Gilks
5
Neil Eardley
6
Ian Evatt
14
Eliot Grandin
16
Luke Varney
26
Charlie Adam
39
DJ Campbell
10 changes in the Blackpool line up I believe. Habib Beye dropped out during the warm up and was replaced on the bench by Shane Lowry.
It seems a bit redundant to call this next game against Blackpool at Villa Park a ‘must win’, they’re all must wins really, aren’t they? Unfortunately, it really is; big trouble looms if we fail to get three points tonight.
I’m generally an optimist, as regular readers can attest, but I’m not naive, or least I like to think I’m not. (Who does?) I’ve seen a lot of folk taking consolation from the fact that, despite occupying 14th place
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Fulham
1
Mark Schwarzer
3
Carlos Salcido
18
Aaron Hughes
6
Chris Baird
5
Brede Hangeland
13
Danny Murphy
23
Clint Dempsey
27
Jonathan Greening
29
Simon Davies
30
Moussa Dembele
11
Zoltan Gera
Subs
12
David Stockdale
2
Stephen Kelly
4
John Pantsil
8
Andrew Johnson
16
Damien Duff
20
Dickson Etuhu
21
Eddie Johnson
Aston Villa
1
Brad Friedel
2
Luke Young
3
Stephen Warnock
29
James Collins
5
Richard Dunne
6
Stewart Downing
12
Marc Albrighton
20
Nigel Reo-Coker
25
Barry Bannan
7
Ashley Young
14
Nathan Delfouneso
Subs
22
Brad Guzan
4
Steve Sidwell
9
Stephen Ireland
21
Ciaran Clark
24
Carlos Cuellar
30
Eric Lichaj
50
Jonathan Hogg
Great to see both Nathan Delfouneso and Barry Bannan getting starts.
Actually, I’ve already read what feels like a thousand previews, you may have read a similar number yourself, there’s little I can add. All the tactics and stratagems go out the window for these ones. All bets are off.
As it happens, I’m going to be out all day Saturday anyway, so instead I’ll leave a couple of windows to the chatter happening on Twitter right now below. You never know, there might be a nugget or two.
I’ll
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Aston Villa
1
Brad Friedel
30
Eric Lichaj
24
Carlos Cuellar
21
Ciaran Clark
23
Habib Beye
4
Steve Sidwell
20
Nigel Reo-Coker
12
Marc Albrighton
25
Barry Bannan
7
Ashley Young
9
Stephen Ireland
Subs
6
Stewart Downing
35
Daniel Johnson
14
Nathan Delfouneso
18
Emile Heskey
22
Brad Guzan
29
James Collins
50
Jonathan Hogg
Burnley
1
Lee Grant
2
Graham Alexander
3
Daniel Fox
4
Michael Duff
5
Clarke Carlisle
18
Leon Cort
8
Dean Marney
10
Martin Paterson
14
Tyrone Mears
19
Jay Rodriguez
22
Ross Wallace
Subs
9
Chris Iwelumo
11
Wade Elliott
12
Brian Jensen
15
David Edgar
21
Andre Bikey
24
Brian Easton
30
Steven Thompson
In a late change, John Carew pulled out during the warm-up, Stephen Ireland replaced him in the starting XI and Daniel Johnson (academy player) will sit on the bench.
Burnley came up from the Championship last season via the play-offs and rightly didn’t go crazy bringing in new players before predictably heading back down to the Championship without too many heading for the exit. They were soundly beaten 4-0 at home by Reading last weekend, two of the starting line-up – Brian Jensen and Tyrone Mears – started every Premiership game the season before and five others had at least a dozen Premiership starts under their belts.
They may
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