Aston Villa v Stoke City - Pre Match Thread

[KRS]

stoke will kick the crap out of us and gain a minimum of a draw. We are crap at this sort of physical game. Still, we have super Ashley Westwood in the middle of the park, what can possibly go wrong?

Stoke aren't particularly a physical team anymore under Hughes. They may still be dirty cheating bastards but they are not the team of bruisers they once were under Pulis.

[tomd2103]

Will be my first game at Villa Park for some time so hoping for a good one.

Stoke will be very worried about Gestede as he annihilated them last season.

Seems like their new signings are struggling to settle and they are missing Nzonzi badly in midfield.

Hopefully Grealish can make hay between the lines as a result, if Whelan and Adam play again there will be plenty of space

Their left back Pieters is very slow and ahead of him Arnautovic wont do much tracking back.

Have a feeling there will be plenty of goals in this one - 3-2 to the Villa.

Not sure whether Traore is ready for a start, if not would go for Bacuna for the first 60mins and then bring in Traore

Sinclair needs to get the finger out again too but bar shifting Grealish out there I dont think we have too many options for the left

-------------Guzan
Hutton, Richards, Clark, Amavi
------Sanchez--Gueye
Bacuna, Grealish, Sinclair
----------Gestede------

Westwood, Ayew, Gil, Traore, Bunn, Lescott, Richardson

Agree with that team except for Bacuna on the right.  Would prefer to see Ayew or Traore start ahead of him.

[KRS]

I'd agree with that tom, so it would be...

                   Guzan

Hutton   Richards   Clark   Amavi

         Sanchez       Gueye

Traore        Grealish        Sinclair

                 Gestede

If we're winning then I'd sure up the midfield, switch to 442 bringing on Bacuna, Westwood, Veretout for Traore (rest him in case of injury), Sanchez (because he'll be blowing out of his arse on the hour), and either Sinclair or Grealish (depending on who is the most invisible in the second half).

[ciggiesnbeer]

I've said it before and I'm going to have to say it again...we're long overdue a win. The football gods can't allow this drought to continue so the time has come.

Sadly I think the football gods are just getting started with us. Another loss I reckon. Its hard for me to beleive anything else given our form. Hopefully it ends now, but its just hope

[Tom_Mc9?]

We're going to unleash hell.

5-0.

[l_mckay]

Can't see beyond a draw 1-1

[JD]

We're going to unleash hell.

5-0.

Yes, yes we are Tom, totally agree.

[Tony Erdington]

We're going to unleash hell.

5-0.

Youve started early

[baddowvillans]

We're going to unleash hell.

5-0.

I will definitely have what you're having!  It's a big game and I would love to see a good performance AND result. I'm in the keep him for now but definitely not beyond end November if he has failed to get the news guys delivering consistently and lifted us up the table. It won't be easy given the run of fixtures but if we are to change - and if we are bottom three I think we must - we need to do it before other clubs are pulling the trigger and to give time to plan for the transfer window. I didn't want Sherwood but would genuinely like to see him succeed. Somehow I just can't see it!

[Ads]

The assessment of Stoke as bruisers is way off the mark., even more so without Shawcross and N’Zonzi. They do remain a Mark Hughes side however and are still cynical, cheating bastards.

[Des Little]

Are we really charging away fans £41?

[Clampy]

Are we really charging away fans £41?

Yes, far too much in my opinion but we're not the highest.

[AVH87]

It's also a rip off for our own fans though, anyone wanting to sit in the Trinity or Witton for this game has to pay £41 too, so it's a general pricing problem, not that we are targeting away fans.

£41 would be too much if it was Man U in town, for Stoke it's ridiculous.

[cdbearsfan]

It'll seem a bargain afterwards though.

Eight-three to us, another Villa Thriller.

[silhillvilla]

I can see this being sub 30k attendance