The Eagles return to South London for yet another midweek game as they welcome an in form Aston Villa to Selhurst Park.
Ahead of the game, we had a chat with the guys from Holtecast to find out how the season is going for Villa, needs in the transfer window, thoughts on the match up, and much more…
TEB – A tough start to the season seems like a distant memory for Villa as we pass the halfway point. Is there a clear reason for the change in form?
HC – The early gloomy days of this season are well behind Villa at this point and that is down to a combination of Unai Emery’s brilliance and the players fully buying into the manager’s ethos once again. It’s more than fair to say that Villa had a tough summer in terms of comings and goings, which leaked into the first four to five weeks of the campaign and created plenty of distractions for a number of players. Emery’s ability to re-focus and rebuild the squad’s confidence cannot go unmentioned!
TEB – Standout result and or performance of the season so far?
HC – It has to be the 2-1 win over Arsenal at Villa Park in early December! Emery’s men fully bought into the game plan that day and gave everything they had. To win the match in such dramatic fashion will live in the memory of all Villa fans for some time.
TEB – Do Villa have many players away at AFCON? If so, has their presence been missed at all?
HC – Our lone player at AFCON is Evann Guessand of the Ivory Coast. The wide man has certainly had a mixed start to his time at the club and considering Villa’s impressive form, we have been able to cope without him very well.
TEB – Is there an area of the squad which needs improvement in January?
HC – I would say most Villa fans would like to see another wide man and/or striker added to the mix in January. Given how well the additions of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio performed on loan in the second half of last season, I’m sure that the club will be looking to scour the market for such inspirational signings once again.
TEB – Any specific Villa related transfer rumours doing the rounds?
HC – It seems to be fairly quiet on the incomings side of things at this point in time, however, it does appear as though Harvey Elliot’s loan will likely be cancelled this month and he’ll be on his way back to Liverpool. To add to that, there are rumours that AS Roma are looking to cancel Leon Bailey’s loan, so we could also see the Jamaican international return to Villa Park this month.
TEB – What are your thoughts on Palace so far this season?
HC – It’s been a mixed bag for Palace so far this season and given the addition of the Europa Conference League, having a compact squad and trying to match the highs of winning the FA Cup last season, this campaign was always going to be tricky. I do expect Palace to improve their form in the second half of the season (hopefully after Wednesday) and would imagine that a top ten finish could be on the cards.
TEB – Have ambitions changed from the start of the season?
HC – Given how poorly this season started, the club’s ambitions of returning to the Champions League next season has miraculously been given a massive boost thanks to the club’s turnaround in fortunes. Some portions of the fan base may have their eyes on the Premier League title at the moment, but I’ll hold my opinions on that one until match week 30.
TEB – Expectations for the match including final score prediction?
HC – Villa have not won at Selhurst Park since 27 November 2021 and have been on the receiving end of a few thrashings by Palace since then. Even with Villa’s strong form, Oliver Glasner seems to always have Emery’s number, so I’ll sit on the fence and go with a 2-2 draw.
