Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has admitted that he will consider making changes to his starting lineup for Tuesday's Champions League opener against Young Boys.
Having reached the semi-finals of last season's Europa Conference League, Emery and his squad are no strangers to squad rotation.
However, given their recent near-miss with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules and desire to establish themselves on both the domestic and continental front, there is a greater need to perform on all fronts.
Villa can be delighted with their efforts during the early stages of England's top flight, accumulating nine points from four matches and only losing to Arsenal.
That has laid the foundations for the start of their first-ever Champions League campaign, Emery and his players faced with eight group-phase fixtures from Tuesday through to the end of January.
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Emery conscious of injury risk
Nine players have started every game thus far, with four outfield players completing the 90 minutes on every occasion.
That is a natural talking point ahead of the trip to Switzerland to face Young Boys, particularly when the West Midlands derby versus Wolves is on Saturday afternoon.
A balance must be found by the Spaniard going forward, something which he acknowledges given that many of his squad have also represented their nations this month.
Speaking at a press conference, as quoted by the Birmingham Mail, Emery said: "I'm trying to be intelligent and help the players as much as possible. We're adding more players who have been in the international team and that's a good example of how we've increased our level.
"They're playing more matches and that's a higher risk to get injured. Everything in my hands I try to use the players intelligence and give them a break if they're tired. One thing that is clear is that they're playing a lot of matches.
"In this competition I think it's better, this is the best competition in the world. The clubs in the Champions League are the best and we have to enjoy, it's the biggest reward in every league to get in the Champions League, this competition is the best competition for everyone."
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What changes could be made by Emery?
Having incredibly scored the winning goal in three of his four substitute appearances this season, Jhon Duran is pushing for an opportunity ahead of Ollie Watkins.
Ian Maatsen, Ross Barkley and Jacob Ramsey will also feel in contention for a chance in the first XI, but the likes of Jaden Philogene and Emiliano Buendia may have to make do with a spot among the replacements.
Young right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic may also get the nod over Lamare Bogarde at right-back.
Darren Plant
