Aston Villa predicted XI vs Brentford: Emery has some big decisions to make

Aston Villa return to Premier League action against Brentford on Saturday, and after another international break, Unai Emery has some interesting decisions to make when it comes to his starting XI.

For the first time this season, Villa should be able to select something close to a full-strength squad, which is particularly encouraging given the number of games coming up. The international break has allowed some players to get valuable minutes into their legs, while others have been able to spend time at Bodymoor Heath working with Emery and his coaching staff.

We have spoken a lot about the importance of October and how this run of fixtures should give us a much better understanding of the squad Emery has at his disposal. There are seven matches between October 10 and October 31, with five of those at Villa Park, and I think we are going to see plenty of rotation over the coming weeks.

Brentford will provide a difficult test, but I think there is an opportunity for Villa to build some momentum and start making Villa Park the sort of place where opposition teams really don't want to come again.

Goalkeeper: Zion Suzuki

Suzuki has made an encouraging start to his Villa career. His performance against Tottenham was another example of the qualities he brings to the team, and the minutes he managed for Japan during the international break were particularly encouraging after the recent injury concerns.

Defence: Matty Cash, Victor Lindelöf, Pau Torres, Matteo Ruggeri

Cash should have recovered from the dead leg he picked up while away on international duty, and despite signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka on loan, he is very much backup with Cash being Villa's premium right back option. 

Pau Torres is another player returning from injury, and I expect him to come back into the side alongside Lindelöf, particularly with Villa playing at home. As usual, there is a very strong case for Tyrone Mings, and I thought he and Lindelöf were excellent together against Tottenham, but I just get the impression Emery will lean towards Pau in this particular fixture. With Ian Maatsen still ruled out, Ruggeri should get his first home start, which is another opportunity for him to show what he can offer.

Midfield: Boubacar Kamara, João Gomes

I am hoping the three weeks of training have been particularly beneficial for Kamara and Gomes, because I think there is the potential for them to develop into a really strong partnership in the middle of the pitch. Gomes is still learning exactly what Emery wants from him, and having that extended period on the training ground together should hopefully have helped both players develop a better understanding of each other and the system.

Attacking midfield: John McGinn, Johan Manzambi, Alejandro Garnacho

This is probably the most interesting area of the team, particularly when you consider the amount of football both McGinn and Manzambi have played during the international break. Both have been involved in four matches for their countries, with McGinn playing virtually 90 minutes in every game, while Manzambi has also had a significant workload for Switzerland. The minutes are useful, particularly for Manzambi after his injury, but you do wonder whether Emery will be conscious of that when making his selection.

I would like to see Garnacho start because I think he is beginning to build some momentum, and it would be good to see Villa take advantage of that rather than having him spend another game on the bench. The complication is how you accommodate him within Emery's system, because he is naturally a wide player and Villa would potentially have to change the way they set up to get the best out of him. The alternative is asking him to operate in a similar role to the one Morgan Rogers played, but they are very different types of footballers, and I do wonder whether that would really suit Garnacho. There is clearly something to work out tactically, but I think he has reached a point where I would like to see him given an opportunity from the start.

Striker: Nicolas Jackson

Jackson would be one of the first names on my teamsheet at the moment. I thought he was excellent against Tottenham, and while there are still areas of his game that can improve, his movement, physicality and ability to stretch opposition defences are already making a difference. I particularly like the way the players around him are benefiting from the spaces he creates, and the understanding between Jackson and Manzambi is something I am really looking forward to seeing develop.

Marco Bizot, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Tyrone Mings, Lamare Bogarde, Ross Barkley, Alysson, Ibrahim Mbaye, Emiliano Buendía, Brian Madjo.

When you look at the players who could potentially be on the bench, I think it really highlights the depth Villa now have available to them, particularly when you consider some of the difficult decisions Emery is going to have to make just to put together a matchday squad.

I have gone with Bogarde ahead of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, which might seem a little harsh on the latter, but Bogarde's versatility gives Emery the option of using him in several different positions, and that could be particularly valuable from the bench. There is also a difficult decision in attack, where I have gone with Madjo ahead of Tammy Abraham. That is harsh on Tammy, but I think Madjo has earned the opportunity to be involved, and I would like to see him given some minutes over this next run of fixtures.

Leon Goretzka is another player who misses out on my predicted squad as he continues his recovery, and when you consider that Villa are still without him and Maatsen, it shows just how much stronger the options are becoming.

There are obviously other combinations Emery could go with, and I would be surprised if we didn't see plenty of changes across the next few weeks given the schedule Villa have ahead of them. However, I think there is a lot to be said for building on the positives from the Tottenham performance, particularly when so many of these players are still getting used to playing together.

For all the concerns about losing key players during the summer, I look at the potential squad for Brentford and see tremendous depth across virtually every position. We haven't really had the opportunity to see Emery work with anything close to his strongest group of players this season, and while there are still some absentees, we are finally getting towards that point.

Predicted XI: Suzuki; Cash, Lindelöf, Pau Torres, Ruggeri; Kamara, João Gomes; McGinn, Manzambi, Garnacho; Jackson.

Substitutes: Bizot, Wan-Bissaka, Mings, Bogarde, Barkley, Alysson, Mbaye, Buendía, Madjo.