Aston Villa will visit Zrinjski Mostar in a bid to secure the top spot in the Europa Conference League. Zrinjski Mostar is battling for pride after being eliminated with one game remaining. The Premier League team has already guaranteed a position in the knockout stages.
Preview (Zrinjski Mostar vs. Aston Villa)
Villa’s top goal going into the season was to win the Europa Conference League trophy. They are in the running for the Premier League championship, that has realistically changed. After victories over Manchester City and Arsenal in back-to-back games, Villa is not only two points off. They also have a five-point lead in the competition for a sure Champions League spot for 2024–2025. Even still, after defeating Legia Warsaw 2-1 in their most recent Group E game. Unai Emery and his team will continue to give this tournament the attention it deserves.
The West Midlands team now just needs one point to secure a position in the round of sixteen. Villa has only lost once in 14 games in all competitions. they have only won one of their last five away games. They also play Zrinjski Mostar, who will not be put off by the prospect of taking on one of the best clubs in Europe given that Villa only prevailed in the rematch thanks to a winner in the 95th minute.
Since then, Zrinjski has dropped three more European games to all but confirm their elimination. However, their most significant loss came in a 2-0 loss to Legia Warsaw in Poland. The last time they played in the Netherlands, AZ defeated them 1-0 thanks to a penalty. Interim manager Mario Ivankovic will think this is a chance to make an impression. In domestic competition, Zrinjski defeated Siroki Brijeg 2-0 away from home on Sunday. It moved them up to second position in the rankings, seven points behind first place.
Team News
Zrinjski doesn’t have much to lose, but Ivankovic can be adamant about starting with his best lineup to gain momentum. Zrinjski’s lone European goal in four games has come from Nemanja Bilbija. In stark contrast, given their recent exertion and Sunday’s trip to Brentford, Emery will most likely heavily rotate his team. Due to their suspensions for the trip to the Bees, Lucas Digne and Douglas Luiz could be able to stay on the lineup, but Matty Cash and Moussa Diaby will probably be the standout starting.
Leander Dendoncker and Jon Duran ought to make an uncommon start, and Clement Lenglet is anticipated to return to the defense. Emiliano Martinez might start in goal if Robin Olsen does not make a comeback to the team after being injured over the weekend. Villa will almost definitely be resting several of their star players for this match, so we anticipate a more relaxed atmosphere. However, Emery can add quality in the last three minutes, and that might be enough to win the game for the visitors in a close one.
Zrinjski Mostar 2-3 Aston Villa
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