Aston Villa secured a sensational 4-0 victory over Ajax in the second leg of their Europa Conference League tie in midweek and the result could give them plenty of momentum heading into their weekend clash against West Ham United.

Villa lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend in a result that threatened to derail their bid for a top-four finish in the Premier League, but Unai Emery must be confident heading into tomorrow’s clash.

In the reverse fixture, the Midlands side defeated the Irons 4-1 and another result like this would surely make the Spaniard a happy man.

With the clash coming just three days after their European exertions, it is clear there could be a change or two among the team in order to add some freshness to the side.

With this in mind, here's a look at the starting XI that Emery could unleash against the Hammers…

1 GK – Emiliano Martínez

The World Cup-winning goalkeeper did not put a foot wrong against the Dutch giants in midweek, keeping his 12th clean sheet of the campaign.

Truth be told, he didn’t actually have to do much, making zero saves during the clash, as Villa eventually ran away with it, and he could sit back and admire how well they were playing.

The former Arsenal man will be aiming to add another clean sheet against West Ham tomorrow.

2 RB – Matty Cash

Cash played the full 90 minutes against Ajax and delivered an excellent performance. Not only did he finish the game with a 93% pass success rate, but the defender showed his willingness to get involved by taking 67 touches along with losing possession just seven times.

Emery will be hoping for a similar display against the Hammers and he will retain his place on the right side of the defence.

3 CB – Pau Torres

The Spaniard won 100% of his ground duels against Ajax, and he has impressed for Villa this term since joining from Villarreal.

Indeed, he has only been dribbled past on 0.5 occasions per game in the top flight, while the defender has won 54% of his total duels contested.

Keeping a clean sheet in midweek will have given him a confidence boost as he keeps his place for the weekend.

4 CB – Clement Lenglet

Diego Carlos started against Ajax; however, he was taken off in the 74th minute due to injury, with Lenglet replacing him.

The on-loan centre-back has made just 21 appearances for the Midlands side since arriving last summer, and it took until the 22nd of December for him to make his league debut.

Since then, however, Lenglet has started every single Premier League match and this won't change ahead of the West Ham clash.

5 LB – Lucas Digne

Alex Moreno was chosen as the starting left-back for the second leg against the Eredivisie outfit, yet his performance was certainly below par.

He lost possession 17 times, while completing just 75% of his passes, and it was a poor display all-round.

This opens the door for Digne to take his place against West Ham, and it would be just his second league start of 2024 following last week’s defeat.

6 RM – Leon Bailey

The former Bayer Leverkusen winger scored his 12th goal of an excellent campaign against Ajax on Thursday, and he has arguably been one of the standout performers this season for Emery.

Bailey has also registered 11 assists across all competitions and against West Ham, the Spaniard will deploy him on the right of the midfield in what will likely be a 4-4-2 formation.

7 CM – Youri Tielemans

Captain John McGinn misses the next few matches due to suspension following his red card against Spurs last weekend and this will see Tielemans take his place.

The Belgian has often been deployed in a more advanced role or out on the left, but with McGinn missing combined with Boubacar Kamara’s injury, Emery may have little choice but to unleash the former Leicester gem.

Surprisingly, the 26-year-old has started only ten league matches this term. Expect tomorrow to be his 11th.

8 CM – Douglas Luiz

The Brazilian has been the life of this Villa side throughout the 2023/24 campaign, registering 20 goal contributions – ten goals and ten assists – for the club.

Once again, he will take his place at the heart of the midfield, with Tielemans as his partner against West Ham.

9 LM – Jacob Ramsey

Morgan Rogers was given the nod to start on the left against Ajax, but he took just 13 touches, won one duel, and failed to have a shot on target.

He was hooked at the break for Tielemans and against the Hammers, Emery may go with Jacob Ramsey on the left.

The £70k-per-week gem has started just eight league matches this term as he has battled a few injury problems.

Hailed as a player who could be “top class in the future” by Jamie Carragher, Ramsey has had a season he would soon rather forget as he focuses his attention on the 2024/25 campaign.

10 ST – Moussa Diaby

The Frenchman hasn’t quite had the impact many expected upon his move from Germany last summer, as he has scored just seven times in all competitions.

He managed to score against Ajax, however, and this should give him a boost ahead of tomorrow's tie, where he will retain his place in the starting XI.