Aston Villa on Saturday - Pre Match thread.....

[Inter Me Nan]

It's not true that we don't have history. One of the historical characteristics of this club is that whatever seems to be the most obvious outcome, will not come to pass.

"Willy Catchit keeps his place in the C1Cup team, and brings off three staggering saves". Anyone see that coming?

"Michael Owen hasn't scored for X number of matches". We're next up and the fart gets a hat-trick. Villa haven't won since the Crimean War, we're next up. Cue an away banker.

A couple of seasons ago I could traipse up to The Etihad and, with a pretty high degree of certainty, forecast the outcome of the game. Not now. I just don't have the faintest idea what is going to happen, or how the players will perform, whether the ref has been recently registered blind, what Pellers will do. The number of variables that will press directly on the result are increasing geometrically!

I love City fans, that cheered me up.

 

[kas_tippler]

Don't forget Villa once won the European Cup, they're no mugs.

 

[meeesh]

Willy in goal,and a start for Kelechi please

 

[Dipsis_LTU_MC]

He will go with:
Hart
Sagna Komp Mang Kolar
Yaya Dinho
Navas Sterling
Bony Aguero

 

[jimharri]

Villa are absolutely shit, we should be able to hammer them but at this point I'd take a scruffy 1-0 win. Actually a clean sheet in unlikely so 2-1.

Post of the thread so far. I'll take any sort of win at this stage.

 

[PragueBlue]

I know its Villa. But Mangala?

He plays well with Kompany.

 

[Cobra]

I know its Villa. But Mangala?

The Kompany/Mangala partnership kept 5 clean sheets in the first 5 games of the season

 

[blue61]

It doesn't matter who plays if they are going to start the match in the usual sloppy way. I would bring Mangala back because Otomendi spends more time on his arse than on his feet and his play reminds me of David Luis, always taking chances. I would also rest Silva and play Kelechi as he scored 3 last time he faced Villa. This is a similar situation to last season after we were beaten by United, we recovered then and I think we will do so again, there is no way those players will want to miss out on CL football next year for professional and financial reasons.

I would also like to see the players saying nothing before games as it always looks bad after a defeat when they do.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I love City fans, that cheered me up.

I have come to look upon my visits to The Minihad to watch the lads and lasses as something of an antidote to the stuff at The Etihad. There is a consistency and a merchantable quality about the play over there!

 

[bobmcfc]

Tiredness and lack of recovery aren't excuses,they are reasons.To what degree they played a part last night only the players will know.....but lets not pretend it wasn't a factor,and one that should have been accounted for.

Tell me what is different about playing an understrength/rotated team prior to a couple of prioritised games as opposed to doing similar in the aftermath?

Liverpool played Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday but looked sharper and hungrier. It's an combination of poor tactics and lack of desire. If they wanted it then they'd try harder