Aston Villa must break when welcoming PSG to Villa Park in the second round of the Champions League quarterfinals.
The Premier League side is 3-1 after the first leg, and given how dominant the French side has been this season, it would be a very high order for Unai Emery to mastermind a 3-0 victory and secure the final four advances.
The club will face Southampton on top flight this weekend. However, Emery could make one or two changes, especially considering how important the second leg is.
Morgan Rodgers opposed League One outfit, but the manager should let him rest before Game 2.
How Morgan Rogers played against PSG
Despite a 3-1 defeat to the current French champion, Rogers was one of Villa’s shining lights. The British scored 35 minutes later with Prince of Park Death and gave a small finish in the box to boost their confidence on the away side.
Elsewhere, Rodgers also created a big opportunity, made one key pass and tried four dribblings – one successful and was fouled twice in time on the pitch.
Southampton has already been kicked out of top flights after a disastrous season. With this in mind, Emery has to mercilessly throw away Rogers from his starting XI to unleash a player who hasn’t had much opportunity to shine since joining the Borussia Dortmund club in January.
But Doniel Mullen has scored on the past two league outings against Brighton and Nottingham Forest each, indicating he deserves another chance this weekend.
Why should Doniel Mullen oppose Southampton?
It makes perfect sense to bring him back to Starting XI this weekend as Dutch International was not included in the Villa Champions League team due to the knockout round.
In nine league matches, Mullen scored twice, but with a goal conversion rate of 22%, missing two big opportunities.
Doniel Maren’s statistics this season (league only) | ||
|---|---|---|
metric | Bundesliga | Premier League |
the goal | 2 | 3 |
assist | 0 | 0 |
A big opportunity has been created | 0 | 1 |
Target shots for each game | 0.8 | 0.4 |
Target conversion rate | twenty two% | 16% |
Via Sofascore | ||
During his Bundesliga spell, Maren received high praise from his former teammate Mario Gotze. He states:
Earlier in the Dortmund season, Maren scored five goals for the German side, including one against Real Madrid in the Champions League group stage.
Although there are fewest prolific tallies in the world, compared to position peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Maren is currently ranked in the top 1% in the top 9% of total shots per 90 (0.64) and 90 (3.47) in the previous 365 days.
These statistics make him the perfect choice for Emery against the Saint. Not only will Rodgers give him a rest before Game 2, but unleashing Mullen will also give him the opportunity to score in his third Premier League match.
Therefore, the Spaniard must x England international from the first XI, not for performance-related reasons, but for his own benefit, to bring about the January addition.
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