The second of three fixtures for Aston Villa during their tour of Australia is upon us, and A-league outfit Brisbane Roar await Steven Gerrard’s men at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium this Wednesday.
This game will conclude both sides’ time in the Queensland Champions Cup, and if the travelling Villans are able to defeat the Roar, they will leave the three-sided competition as victors after beating Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United last week has put them in good stead for the pre-season trophy.
Danny Ings’ second-half penalty decided the fiercely-contest affair, and the incredible Australian support certainly got their money’s worth at the Suncorp Stadium after witnessing a thrilling encounter. Extraordinary saves from Leeds’ Ivan Meslier and strong tackles were the highlights of the game which saw the claret and blue side make it two wins from two this pre-season after comfortably beating Walsall 10 days ago.
Brisbane Roar, managed by Head Coach Warren Moon, look for their first win in the tournament after falling to defeat to the Whites by two goals to one in the Cup’s opening fixture. Goals from Daniel James and Joe Gelhardt were enough to see out the game, despite Joe Knowles halving the deficit on the stroke of half-time.
Aston Villa fans can expect to see an altered starting eleven for the forthcoming fixture after boss Steven Gerrard stated “We’ll make a few changes now for Brisbane” during the post-match interview with VillaTV at the Suncorp Stadium. Players who didn’t feature on the day from the camp include Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Tim Iroegbunam and Cameron Archer (among others) and so we may see these names on the field come Wednesday morning.
Speaking of squads, let’s remind ourselves of who made the trip down under:
- Goalkeepers: Filip Marshall, Oliwier Zych, Robin Olsen and Emiliano Martinez.
- Defenders: Matty Cash, Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Frederic Guilbert, Calum Chambers, Josh Feeney, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Diego Carlos, Lucas Digne, Ben Chrisene, Ludwig Augustinsson and Ashley Young.
- Midfielders: Marvelous Nakamba, Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Sanson, Tim Iroegbunam, Aaron Ramsey, Emiliano Buendia and Philippe Coutinho.
- Forwards: Ollie Watkins, Cameron Archer, Danny Ings, Leon Bailey, Keinan Davis, Jaden Philogene-Bidace and Bertrand Traore.
And now for the Brisbane Roar squad, as follows:
- Goalkeepers: Jordan Holmes, Macklin Freke, Jacson Riley and Lachlan Duke.
- Defenders: Anton Mlinaric, Jack Hingert, Joshua Brindell-South, Kai Trewin, Scott Neville, Thomas Aldred, Tommy Jarrard.
- Midfielders: Connor Chapman, Henry Cliff, Henry Hore, James O’Shea, Jesse Daley, Louis Zabala, Rahmat Akbari, Riku Danzaki, Ryo Matsumura and Ville Steinmann.
- Forwards: Charlie Austin, Cyrus Dehmie, Jez Lofthouse, Joe Knowles, Luke Ivanovic, Manyiel Majok and Nikola Mileusnic.
Ezri Konsa could make a sensational return to the Aston Villa side this week after recovering early from the knee injury that forecast the No.4 to miss well beyond the start of the Premier League season. Fans were shocked to see that the 24 year-old had made the long trip to Australia last week, and to better the news, Gerrard stated just last week that: “He’s back. The rehab’s done… and he’ll be available for selection against Brisbane Roar in the middle of the week.”
The Villa team, despite the ferociousness of the occasion, came away unscathed against Leeds, but the Head Coach did mention that young winger Jaden Philogene-Bidace had picked up a knock in training and will therefore be unavailable.
Of the eight individuals to have missed the previous game on Sunday, Bertrand Traore and Emiliano Martinez are the two primed for minutes, as well as the many younger players who should too get a run out. The latest signing, Ludwig Augustinsson, looks set to make his Aston Villa debut on the day as well, and we could see Keinan Davis feature back in claret and blue on the back of his successful loan move to newly-promoted Nottingham Forest.
The main injury news for this week’s opponents regards starting No.1 and former Bournemouth shot-stopper Jordan Holmes, who will sit out of all the Roar’s pre-season games after recently undergoing surgery on a lingering wrist injury that has the affected the 25 year-old for the last 18 months.
Aside from this however, both sides appear match fit and injury free, with yet another exciting game down-under on the horizon. Steven Gerrard and his side will hope to come away triumphant from the tie, and with a pre-season trophy to commend their hard-work prior to a big season ahead in the Premier League. The former Rangers gaffer will be pleased to see his side tallying up vital minutes, and will hope to see his side adhere to the philosophies and playing styles that he commands.
Can the claret and blue side make it three from three ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, or will the orange and black of the Roar cause an almighty upset?
AUTHOR | LIAM DAVIES
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive liamayrtondavies – UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
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