Aston Villa set to ring changes for Carabao Cup tie
Villa boss Unai Emery has confirmed he will ring the changes for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie at Wycombe Wanderers.
Emery provided an honest assessment of where the competition sits on his list of priorities with the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup all deemed more important.
But while the trip to the League One Chairboys offers a chance to give fringe players minutes, the Spaniard’s focus remains fully on claiming a victory after acknowledging the cup offers a route to ending Villa’s long trophy drought should they successfully negotiate the early rounds.
Emery said: “It is clear the priority is the Premier League, 38 matches, through it we have to get our first objective, try and be in the top seven and be consistent in playing in Europe, that is the most difficult way through the Premier League.
“The second most difficult is the Champions League and then we have to try to find something important in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
“The FA Cup is maybe more important than the Carabao Cup, but the Carabao Cup is a trophy and we are going to compete.
“Of course, I am going to change some players but I am going to prepare a plan to win and to get a good way in this competition in case we can get through three matches and get an opportunity to fight for a trophy through it.”
Goalkeeper Joe Gauci is likely to make his first appearance since joining Villa from Adelaide United in January, while Ian Maatsen, Ross Barkley and Jhon Duran should all make their first starts of the season, having impressed off the bench in the Premier League.
It also promises to be a significant night for Emi Buendia, who is expected to receive his first senior start since returning from the knee injury which kept him out for the whole of last season. Winger Kadan Young and defender Sil Swinkels are among the youth team players who could feature.
Tonight is just Villa’s fourth ever visit to Adams Park, for what is only the fifth competitive match between the clubs.
Previous meetings have been eventful and not always in a good way for Villa. Their second visit to Wycombe, which took place in the same competition 19 years ago this month, ended in an 8-3 victory after David O’Leary’s team fought back from a 3-1 half-time deficit against their then League Two opponents.
The angry reaction of visiting fans at the break infamously prompted O’Leary to brand a section of the supporters “fickle” in his post-match interview, a comment from which the manager’s standing with the fanbase never recovered.
Villa’s most recent visit was for an FA Cup third round tie during the disastrous 2015-16 relegation season. Micah Richards headed Remi Garde’s team in front but then argued with furious visiting supporters after Joe Jacobson equalised to earn the hosts a 1-1 draw and a replay.
The result made it 16 matches without a win for Villa. Needless to say, they are preparing for their latest clash with Wycombe in very different spirits.
