Palace v Villa Pre-Match Thread

[AV82EC]

Right quick trip to Costa before over to London Bridge. One thing about working in London is how easy the trip to Palace is!!

[brontebilly]

I'd go with

Guzan

Hutton
Clark
Okore
Cissokho

Sanchez
Westwood
Cleverley

Cole

Benteke
Agbonlahor

a midfield diamond sort of formation. We'll need Gabby to use his pace, as I doubt Dann and Hangelaand will be able to handle that - but if we lump balls up to Benteke in the air all night they'll love that.

Whenever Gabby and Benteke play up top together they get in each others way, like at QPR. If Gabby plays tonight he needs to be on the left I reckon. Think we need to exploit the likes of Hangeland more by getting the ball quickly into the feet of Cole, Grealish, Cleverley outside the box and force him to come out a bit. He cant turn so the kind of pass that Cole put Gabby through against Burnley is our best chance of creating a goal tonight.

Thought Cleverley put in a good shift in the second half at Burnley, maybe things will go his way tonight. Midfield will be a war zone but we have better footballers so need to do what we did pretty well at QPR and Burnley and keep the ball. The likes of Ledley and McArthur arent athletes. Sanchez positionally has a lot to learn which is why tonight I would instruct him to be no more than 10 metres ahead of our centre backs at any time tonight and to never get ahead of the ball. We look vulnerable on the counterattack because he pushes too far forward and Westwood offers powder puff resistance.

Crystal Palace are on a decent run but there is a reason why we are only behind them on goal difference i.e. they are bang average too. Think it will be a good game tonight.

[Goldie.7]

Gayle might be out which is good news.

[Clampy]

Benteke is in for Sanchez. Herd on the bench.

[Legion]

VILLA: Guzan, Hutton, Okore, Clark, Cissokho, Westwood, Cleverley, Cole, Weimann, Agbonlahor (c), Benteke. Subs: Given, Herd, Richardson, Sanchez, N’Zogbia, Lowton, Grealish.

[Legion]

Match Thread needed.

[Richard]

Blimey am thinking the midfield looks a bit light so we must be going all out attack

[TheTimVilla]

Let's see him make a potential 4-2-4 formation in to a 4-5-1

[berneboy]

SUBS - #AVFC (v @CPFC): Given, Herd, Richardson, Sanchez, N’Zogbia, Lowton, Grealish.
via·3 minutes ago
Aston Villa FC@AVFCOfficial
STARTING XI - #AVFC (v @CPFC): Guzan, Hutton, Okore, Clark, Cissokho, Westwood, Cleverley, Cole, Weimann, Agbonlahor (c), Benteke.

[supertom]

It's a positive line up. Very lightweight in midfield though.

You look at that line up and would think logically that a 4-2-3-1 is best. Lambert will probably opt for the 4-3-3, which might be a problem for Cole in terms of picking up space.

Glad Clark is fit to play.

[aj2k77]

Hate that formation now.

[Richard]

4 2 3 1 hopefully

[villa_cads]

Well, it's certainly more positive,  like that.