Aston Villa correspondent Dan Bardell has listed one way the club could suffer just as they did on the opening day of the season last week.
As Villa succumbed to a 3-2 away loss at Vicarage Road, Watford’s Ismaila Sarr took home plenty of plaudits after terrorising Matt Targett through the first half.
Targett had to be substituted at half time in that game, and Bardell has predicted that the club could suffer in a similar way against Newcastle United’s Allan Saint-Maximin this weekend.
While previewing the match on The Totally Football Show, Bardell explained: “Well, after I saw what Ismaila Sarr did to us down the right-hand side on Saturday, I’m a little bit concerned about Saint-Maximin.
“Targett just didn’t look fit at all on the weekend. So if he’s up against him, hopefully he’s a bit fitter than he was last week.”
TIF Thoughts on Matt Targett and Allan Saint-Maximin…
Targett showed great consistency last season working under manager Dean Smith, this was reflected by the fact that the full-back played in each and every one of Aston Villa’s 38 Premier League games.
Judging by this, it seems likely that the 25-year-old could come back into the team to start against Newcastle – despite his less than convincing performance against Watford and Sarr – in Bardell’s eyes, at least.
Saint-Maximin, on the other hand, showed glimpses of his star quality in the Magpies’ home loss to West Ham, grabbing an assist in the 5th minute of the game for Callum Wilson.
If the French winger can find his form against the Villans, Targett could well be in for another difficult day at the office.