In-form Villa head to Bournemouth for Carabao Cup clash

Aston Villa head to Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup tomorrow evening in the form of their season, with both sides on a run of four straight wins in all competitions.

Villa's victory over league leaders Manchester City on Saturday made it six wins from their last seven games, and just one defeat in ten. Bournemouth arrive in similarly good spirits after a 3-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

A rebuilt squad finding its feet

Villa's revival is all the more striking given how much the squad changed in the summer. They lost six key players, among them Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, Emi Martinez and Ezri Konsa, and deliberately replaced them with younger, and in most cases cheaper, signings.

After losing three of their first four league matches, the new-look side have found different ways to win against Tottenham, Newcastle and Manchester City, as well as in the Champions League. Zion Suzuki and Nicolas Jackson have been early successes, and Joao Gomes and Johan Manzambi have impressed too.

"I like to build teams"

Unai Emery, now four years into his time at Villa Park, says he is enjoying this season even more than the last. "This summer was a little bit different; we sold more than we usually do," he said. "We were buying younger and more players than we did before. That needs time to get them to understand our demands."

"But I'm not frustrated. I like to build teams, to watch them individually and collectively to see how they progress. I'd like sometimes to buy the best players in the world! But I accept how we are doing and what is our capacity."

He pointed to the next stage of the club's plans: "The next step forward is Villa Park and the 50,000 capacity. We are moving in the right direction."

What to expect from Bournemouth

Bournemouth head coach Marco Rose expects to make changes from the side that won at Old Trafford, but insisted his team will be competitive. "I want to win every game and we want to be competitive in every competition," he said. "I never throw a game away just to be fresh at the weekend."

Rose hinted at a longer run-out for striker Junior Kroupi, who scored 13 Premier League goals last season and returned on Sunday for his first minutes since an operation on a fractured metatarsal in July. The Cherries will be without Alex Toth, Alex Scott and Julian Araujo.

A chance for the newcomers

With Champions League and Premier League fixtures coming thick and fast, cup nights are a chance for players who have had fewer minutes to make their case in a squad full of young signings still bedding in.

The Carabao Cup offers Villa another route to silverware, and a win at the Vitality Stadium would keep their momentum going into a busy November.