Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard is set to hand starts to the likes of Philip Coutinho and John McGinn when his team make the journey to Bolton Wanderers next week.
Villa are in town for a Carabao Cup second round tie, which comes on the back of a Premier League trip to Crystal Palace this weekend. Gerrard will shuffle his pack for the trip north but is still expected to call on a wealth of talent.
The likes of Philip Coutinho and John McGinn are in line for starts while Tyrone Mings could also feature having been stripped of the captaincy ahead of the season. Ollie Watkins, Ashley Young and Douglas Luiz are other big names that could start at Bolton with Gerrard likely to give some of his fringe players opportunities alongside a mix of senior stars.
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It means the Premier League outfit will provide a stern test for Ian Evatt's unbeaten Wanderers, who sit fourth in League One ahead of their game with Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. One player who won't be in the Villa line up is Diego Carlos who faces a lengthy spell out with an Achilles injury.
The centre-back underwent surgery in London on Thursday after leaving Villa Park last week on crutches and in a protective boot following an awkward fall late on in the 2-1 win over Everton.
Gerrard said: “Diego had surgery yesterday in London which we’ve been told the surgeon is extremely happy with and it’s a success. Now, it’s very important that rehabilitation goes as smoothly as it can.
“Then we’ll give him every bit of support both on and off the pitch. He’s moved on, he’s processed it. He’s in a positive place and I think that shows the mental strength and the character we’re dealing with.
“I have no doubt that he’ll come back better and stronger. For myself and the rest of the club, it’s obviously a huge setback and a blow.”
The manager added: “He’ll play again this season, for sure. We’re very confident of that. It’s very difficult to put a timeframe on this injury because the surgery in this situation - and in most cases - is pretty straightforward.
“The important bit is how the rehabilitation goes and you’ve got to hit your targets as you go along. [Rehabilitation] is the most important part of this injury rather than the surgery but, for sure, he’ll still play this season and he’ll have a big chunk of the season as well."
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