Predicted Aston Villa XI vs Burnley: Lions keen to consolidate top-five place against relegated Clarets | OneFootball

Aston Villa visit Turf Moor to take on relegated Burnley on Sunday afternoon, looking to consolidate their place in the Premier League top five.

The Villans will arrive at Turf Moor brimming with confidence after booking their place in the Europa League final with an emphatic victory over Nottingham Forest.

Villa went into the tie decider trailing, having lost 1-0 to Forest in the first leg at City Ground.

However, they turned it around on home turf, securing a thumping 4-0 victory to extend their remarkable unbeaten record and winning streak against Forest at Villa Park.

With the Villans now looking forward to the showpiece in Istanbul, they’re more likely to take their foot off the gas on their return to Premier League duties.

However, with Bournemouth now breathing down their neck with only a three-point buffer, the Villans cannot afford any hint of complacency.

If Villa win the Europa League, securing a top-five finish will become inconsequential as it’ll hand them an automatic slot in the Champions League.

But even with the most decorated manager in Europa League history at the helm, the Lions can’t afford to leave their hopes of returning to the Champions League to fate.

With relegation already sealed, Burnley have nothing left to fight for heading into Sunday’s encounter.

Emery’s side will be looking to pile on their misery, although he may decide to shuffle the pack with the Europa League final now a priority.

How Aston Villa could line up

Emery will likely make six changes to the Villa side that eviscerated Forest in the Europa League.

He could make a surprise gamble by returning to the XI that faced Tottenham a fortnight ago. The only problem is that the plan didn’t work at the time as they fell to a 2-1 defeat.

Their prospects are significantly improved now that they’re facing Burnley, but it’s a risk nonetheless.

Matty Cash, Victor Lindelof, Tyrone Mings and Ian Maatsen will line up in defence, while Emiliano Martinez holds down the fort in goal.

Youri Tielemans and Lamare Bogarde should continue their midfield partnership while Jadon Sancho and Ross Barkley return to the team to support Morgan Rogers in attack.

Tammy Abraham could also return, giving Ollie Watkins a much-needed breather after netting a goal and an assist to send Villa to the Europa League final.

Predicted Aston Villa XI