Aston Villa captain picks which Crystal Palace players can ‘trouble’ any Premier League team

Aston Villa captain John McGinn says Crystal Palace trio Wilfried Zaha, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise can cause trouble against any side in the Premier League.

The Eagles head to Villa Park on Saturday afternoon looking to pick up their first three points of 2023.

Palace’s hosts on Saturday ended their run of three defeats on the bounce last weekend after they beat Sean Dyche’s Everton 2-0 at Goodison Park.

Ollie Watkins has bagged five in his last five Premier League outings for Unai Emery’s side.

Zaha has missed the last four outings due to a hamstring injury but is set to return to the matchday squad for Palace on Saturday. The Ivorian has six Premier League goals to his name this season.

Olise, 21, has two goals and five assists in the Premier League this season. Greenwich-born Eze, who has been on the bench in recent weeks, has recorded four goals and three assists this season.

When asked what sort of challenge the Scottish midfielder expected from Palace, McGinn said: “A tough one.

“We have got a reasonably good record against Palace at Villa Park. 

“They’re a team that can cause you a lot of problems on their day.

“Eze, Olise and Zaha are players that can trouble any team in the league. 

“We have got to respect them, the same way every team in this league deserves respect.

“But if we play to our best, we know it’s a game we can get three points from. 

“It’s a key game for us. We know that they are right up our backsides, so if we get the three points, we know it will be huge in the context of the season.

“We know how important it is.”

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD