Unai Emery has once again opted to start Evann Guessand for Aston Villa as his side face Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League on Thursday.
Youri Tielemans returned to first-team training this week, and the midfielder has been named among the substitutes on 6 November.
The Belgian had not been expected to return to action until after the November international break, and his return will serve as a boost for the Villans.
John McGinn can make his 300th Villa appearance against Maccabi Tel Aviv, but the Scot will have to wait after being named on the bench.
Villa are the favourites to beat Maccabi Tel Aviv, in a game that has been engulfed in controversy over the past few weeks after the away fans were barred from travelling.
Unai Emery makes several changes vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
Guessand was shockingly bad against Liverpool at the weekend, with the winger completing just one pass across 59 minutes of action.
The Ivory Coast international also lost all six of his ground duels against the Reds and committed two fouls in his time on the pitch.
| Evann Guessand | Premier League 2025-26 |
| Appearances | 9 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Shots | 3 |
| Successful dribbles | 6 |
| Duels won | 33 |
Calls have been made for Emery to drop the 24-year-old, but Guessand has once again been named in the starting line-up for Thursday’s clash.
In another key decision, the Spaniard has named Donyell Malen at the head of the Villa attack, opting to drop Ollie Watkins.
The Englishman has scored just one goal across 14 appearances in all competitions for the Villans this season, and was poor against Liverpool.
Jadon Sancho also starts against Maccabi Tel Aviv, while Harvey Elliott‘s time spent on the periphery continues as the summer signing is kept on the bench.
Donyell Malen deserves his chance
Malen had been so impressive against Burnley before the October international break, which made it all the more surprising when the Dutchman made just one start in the following four games.
The forward scored two brilliant goals and was a constant threat to the Clarets. The 26-year-old created two chances, completed two dribbles, and won four ground duels on the day.
But Emery quickly reverted to Watkins, and has not been rewarded for his faith in the England international.
Now, however, it appears that the Spaniard has reluctantly opted to hand Malen another chance to impress, with a good performance against Maccabi Tel Aviv sure to lead to a starting role against Bournemouth on Sunday.
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