Aston Villa to field a youth team against Liverpool in FA Cup

Aston Villa will field a youth team against Liverpool in the FA Cup after a coronavirus outbreak within the senior squad.

No senior player or member of staff – including boss Dean Smith – will be at Villa Park on Friday after the club shut their Bodymoor Heath training ground on Thursday.

Under-23s coach Mark Delaney will take the side, with Villa having recalled right-back Jake Walker from his loan at Alvechurch with a view of including him in the squad.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will freshen up his under-performing side but is reluctant to make too many changes.

Neco Williams could come in for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who looks like he needs a break, while Fabinho could be rested at centre-back.

In midfield Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Thiago Alcantara need more pitch time after recently coming back from injury, as does Xherdan Shaqiri, and all could start at Villa Park.

Provisional Aston Villa squad: Sinisalo, Onodi, Kesler, Walker, Zito, Revan, Bridge, Guy, Sohna, Reddin, Ramsey, Philogene-Bidace, Clarke, Chukwuemeka, Tait, Archer, Wright, Barry, Young, Campton-Sturridge.

Provisional Liverpool squad: Kelleher, N Williams, R Williams, Phillips, Milner, Jones, Thiago, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah, Shaqiri, Minamino, Adrian, Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Henderson, Mane, Firmino, Origi.

 

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