Aston Villa are favourites to progress to the next round of the League Cup on Wednesday when they face Crystal Palace at Villa Park.
The Unai Emery revolution at Villa Park has been remarkable to witness, but as of yet, the revolution has not brought silverware so the Spanish manager will identify the League Cup as a winnable competition even if there are a lot of big guns still in the hat.
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Aston Villa Recent Form
Since the loss against Arsenal in the second game of the season, Villa are unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions.
From their last five they have beat Fulham and drawn with Man Utd and Bournemouth in the Premier League and defeated Bayern Munich and Bologna in the Champions League.
They were undone by a very, very late equaliser from the Cherries this past weekend.
Aston Villa Injury News
Aston Villa's squad is finally looking a lot healthier after a raft of injury issues at the start of the season. There are no players currently out injured and this game should provide an ideal opportunity for Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara to start their first game of the season following long-term knee injuries.
Last Aston Villa Lineup
Here's how Aston Villa lined up against Bournemouth.
Crystal Palace Recent Form
Crystal Palace finally ended their long wait for a league victory at the weekend when they defeated Tottenham 1-0 at home thanks to a goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Prior to that, they lost three games in a row in the Premier League against Everton, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Their only other wins this season have come in the League Cup against Norwich and QPR.
Crystal Palace Injury News
As for Palace on the injury front, Chadi Riad, Chris Richards, Matheus Franca and Cheick Doucoure remain out.
There are doubts over Jefferson Lerma and Ismaila Sarr.
Last Crystal Palace Lineup
Here's how Palace lined up against Tottenham.
Aston Villa - Player To Watch
Ollie Watkins started at the weekend so it seems likely that supersub Jhon Duran will be given a start here. He has a remarkable record off the bench this season but should be handed a start in the cup.
Crystal Palace - Player To Watch
With rotation expected from both managers, we should see Eddie Nketiah start this one for Palace. He hasn't exactly lit up Palace since his move from Arsenal and should use competitions like this to try and impress.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace - Prediction
Simply, Aston Villa's squad players like Jhon Duran and Ross Barkley, who scored at the weekend, will have more quality than the players Palace bring in to the starting XI. It is likely that, as the competition goes on, Villa and Emery will take things more seriously.
Scoreline prediction - Aston Villa 2-0 Crystal Palace
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace - Betting Tips
Jhon Duran to Score
- Jhon Duran has seven goals in just two starts this season and is a sure-fire starter here so he is a great bet to find the back of the net
