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Against Fulham last weekend, Aston Villa were without four key players, and it likely played a large role in their stunning 1-2 defeat. For this week I've got bad news and good news.
Bad news: Christian Benteke was not healed magically in the past week and is still unavailable for the match against Crystal Palace.
Good news: Fabian Delph, Gabby Agbonlahor, and Karim El Ahmadi are all expected to play.
Last weekend seemed to be a case in which nothing could go right for Aston Villa. Losing Christian Benteke would be a huge blow to any club, but to have that loss compounded by losing three more starters meant that Villa were a shell of their normal selves.
With Gabby, Delph, and KEA all back in action this weekend, I think we can expect to see a Villa lineup that looks more normal than usual. The 4-3-3 that Paul Lambert loves so much could easily work with Grant Holt slotting into Benteke's normal position. Or Lambert could toy with things a bit and move Andi Weimann or Gabby to the center and bring Marc Albrighton up, where he seemed fairly effective last weekend.
Regardless, it's great news that Lambert will have a mostly full team from which to choose. What players would you choose to take on Palace?
