Ings axed & “quality” £85k-p/w gem starts in Gerrard’s predicted Villa XI v Saints

Aston Villa play host to an impressively in-form Southampton side this afternoon and will be hoping to end the visitors’ seven-game unbeaten run.

Steven Gerrard has the opportunity to guide his team closer to a top-half finish by securing a win at Villa Park today, and he will be pleased to have an almost completely fit squad at his disposal.

Carney Chukwuemeka is out with a knock and Marvelous Nakamba remains sidelined with a long-term injury after receiving surgery at the end of last year, but otherwise everyone else is available for selection.

The former Rangers boss will be thrilled to have Bertrand Traore restored to his attacking options ahead of the clash, with the winger confirmed to be back in training following a hamstring injury picked up during the Africa Cup of Nations.

With that in mind, this is how Football Fancast expects Aston Villa to line up against Saints this afternoon…

We expect Gerrard to make just one change from the side which won against Brighton last weekend, with the 41-year-old staying loyal to most of his team in a ‘don’t fix what isn’t broken’ approach.

The only change we expect to see is in the forward line, with Danny Ings being axed from the centre-forward role as one of the less effective attackers in the side so far this season.

The 29-year-old has only found the net four times so far this season in his 19 Premier League appearances, which is a much lesser output than when he was at Southampton last season, scoring 13 goals for his former club last term.

In his place, we expect to see £85k-p/w gem Bailey return to the starting line-up after being sidelined with a thigh injury which had rendered him unavailable for selection for the last 10 games.

Should Leon Bailey start vs Southampton?

Bailey has been hailed as “quality” by his former manager Peter Bosz, and Gerrard could give him the opportunity to make his mark this afternoon. If that happens, the Jamaican must seize his opportunity to impress in one of the most competitive positions in the Aston Villa squad.

In other news: Gerrard has revealed an injury update on one Villa player prior to this afternoon’s clash