Aston Villa XI vs Everton: Mings, Tielemans updates with Emery set to make changes | OneFootball

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery will have to make at least one change to his starting line-up as the Villans look to respond to last weekend’s heavy defeat at Newcastle United when they take on Everton at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon, journalist Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT.

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Moussa Diaby’s debut strike was not enough to earn Villa a spoil of the shares at St. James’ Park on Saturday.

Goals from Sandro Tonali, Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes and an Alexander Isak brace subjected the West Midlands giants to an opening-day 5-1 shellacking.

The Villans were rocked by a serious injury to centre-back Tyrone Mings, whilst Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash missed gilt-edged opportunities to hit the back of the net on either side of the break.

Emery will hope to see his side respond when they welcome Everton to Villa Park, who suffered a defeat of their own last weekend, losing 1-0 at home to Fulham.

Aston Villa team news – Tyrone Mings injury

With the scores level at 1-1 last weekend, an innocuous coming together between Mings and Isak resulted in a horrifying injury for the Villa man, who was treated on the pitch for close to ten minutes.

On Monday, Aston Villa released an official statement, confirming Mings would require surgery after undergoing scans which revealed a severe knee injury, with a lengthy rehabilitation process on the cards.

It is a major disappointment for the 30-year-old, who could miss the rest of the season as the Villans look forward to a return to Europe ahead of next week’s Europa Conference League third-round qualifier.

And Jones told GIVEMESPORT that Mings’ injury is a “massive blow to Villa”, who have to regain their focus after being opened up at will by Newcastle last weekend.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “The Mings injury is a massive blow to Villa, and it's all about now rebuilding the foundations of the team because the loss of so many goals on the opening day was totally out of whack with what most of us were expecting.”

Diego Carlos or Ezri Konsa – Who will be Pau Torres’ centre-back partner?

Following Mings’ set-back, Emery now has a decision to make on what options he will use at centre-back on Sunday and for the foreseeable future.

It would be a surprise if Pau Torres wasn’t made an eventual shoo-in for the side after the Villans splashed a reported £31.5m to sign the Villarreal and Spain defender at Villa Park.

Therefore, it could be a toss-up between Diego Carlos and Ezri Konsa for a spot next to the 26-year-old at the back.

Carlos has been unable to make a substantial impact at the second-city club, having suffered an Achilles’ tendon injury against the Toffees last year, leading to a long lay-off.

Meanwhile, Konsa was below-par in the side’s 5-1 defeat last weekend, leaving Emery with a tough decision to make.

Jones has told GIVEMESPORT that Emery’s solution to Mings’ injury could come from within and hasn’t written off Konsa despite a poor showing at St. James’ Park.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I think it’s all about finding the right partner for Pau now, and that should probably be the main plan. I know fans often like to see a new signing to fix a problem, but in the case where Villa already have Carlos and Konsa to compete for places, it feels like the competition should come from within.

“The Newcastle game went very badly for Konsa, but we can’t write him off. We are sitting here debating how to replace Mings and talking about him being a top defender - but we have sat here before and had conversations in the past about him fighting for his future in the team too.”

Will Emery ring the changes ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Everton?

After such an underwhelming start to the season, it would be a surprise if Emery didn’t make several changes ahead of Everton’s visit to Villa Park.

The Villans hope to replicate last season’s 2-1 victory over the Toffees in the same fixture but must ensure they play at a higher standard than was shown at Newcastle.

Having been hooked at half-time, Leon Bailey is a candidate to be dropped ahead of the Merseyside outfit’s trip to the West Midlands, whilst those involved in last weekend’s defensive horror show could find their places in jeopardy.

And Jones has told GIVEMESPORT that the Villa squad need to develop an “understanding of the structures around them” as they aim to make amends for the defeat at Newcastle.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Players need confidence, and they need an understanding of the structures around them, and with Villa, it feels like this is what needs to be built.”

Will Tielemans make his first Premier League start of the season?

After replacing Bailey at half-time, Tielemans understandably struggled to make an impact on the pitch, given the nature of the side’s second-half showing.

His arrival on a free transfer from Leicester City is a coup for the Villans, who have improved the spine of their side heading into this season.

It remains to be seen whether Emery adopts the 4-3-3 system that Villa finished the game with last week, though it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the former Arsenal chief re-evaluate the side in the build-up to this fixture.

However, the Spanish head coach could integrate Tielemans into the side sooner rather than later, having produced 42 goal contributions in 151 appearances for Leicester over the previous five seasons.

And Jones has told GIVEMESPORT that he believes “it’s very likely” that Tielemans will come into Villa’s starting XI on Sunday.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “The team is still taking shape, new signings are still coming in, and players need to fight to survive in this set-up. And I think having that fear over your spot is good in these early days of a season. I think it’s very likely Tielemans comes into the side after the way Villa started at Newcastle.

“He couldn’t quite impose himself, but the way Newcastle played caused real problems for Villa, and they need to ensure they have more control of the midfield for this game.”

Aston Villa predicted starting XI vs Everton

Martinez; Cash, Carlos, P. Torres, Digne; Kamara, Douglas Luiz, Tielemans; Diaby, McGinn, Watkins.