Aston Villa are looking to progress into the quarter-finals of the League Cup.
The full match squad is as follows:
Starting XI – Steer, Elmohamady, Konsa, Hause, Taylor, Hourihane, Douglas Luiz, Lansbury, Trezeguet, El Ghazi, Davis.
Substitutes – Nyland, Guilbert, Chester, Nakamba, McGinn, Kodija, Wesley.
The Villans had been on a good run prior to their visit to Manchester City at the weekend and will be hoping to bounce back from that 3-0 defeat with a strong performance and result tonight.
Smith has nonetheless named a much-rotated side ahead of the gruelling upcoming fixture against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.
Henri Lansbury is making just his second start of the season. He created three assists against Crewe Alexandra in an earlier round of the competition.
Having scored and assisted in previous rounds, 21-year-old Keinan Davis also gets another opportunity.
Elsewhere it’s all change in defence, with none of the starting defenders against Man City featuring tonight.
With others like John McGinn and Wesley rested, it’s a great chance for some fringe performers to put in a shift and convince their manager they are worth more starts moving forward.
There’s good news on the bench, with long-term absentee James Chester returning from injury and potentially getting his first competitive minutes in the first-team since January.
Can Villa take a step into the quarter-final and make a push for silverware?
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