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Gary Lineker makes Aston Villa league prediction as he backs £120k-a-week player to shine
Aston Villa will be raring to go in the Premier League this season following another summer of notable investment in the squad.
Unai Emery led the Villans to fourth place in the Premier League last term and Champions League football now beckons for the Villa Park side.
Admittedly, Villa did lose two of their star players as Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby joined other clubs, but they’ve also been busy on the incomings front.
Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen, Jaden Philogene, Samuel Iling-Junior, Lewis Dobbin, Enzo Barrenechea and Ross Barkley have all joined the Villans this summer.
Gary Lineker has now predicted how he feels Villa will do this season and has backed one of their players to have another impressive campaign.
READ MORE: Sam Allardyce predicts who will win Premier League title this season
Gary Lineker, Micah Richards and Alan Shearer predict ‘just outside top four’ finish for Aston Villa
Lineker, speaking on The Rest is Football, feels the Villans will be a force again, tipping Ollie Watkins to shine once again.
However, Lineker – along with Micah Richards and Alan Shearer – feel Villa will nonetheless finish just outside the top four.
“They’ll be challenging for European football again but I don’t see them making top four,” said Shearer.
Richards added: “Yeah, I agree. Just outside top four.
“Been excellent up to now but when they’re playing Champions League football it’s going to take it out of them.
“I’m going to go just miss out on top four, so Europe.”
Lineker then said: “Yeah, I’m going to agree with you on that one.
“I think they will miss Douglas Luiz. I think he is a really good player and he has gone to Juventus in the summer. But they will be a force again.
“Ollie Watkins was an important part of the England squad and scored an incredible goal which won the game. I fancy him to have another good season.”
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Optimism high at Villa Park
Villa fans will hope that all three pundits are wrong and that their team will indeed kick on from last season, either matching or exceeding their fourth-placed finish.
Watkins will be key to the Villans’ hopes. The £120,000-a-week striker () registered 27 goals and 13 assists in all competitions for his side last term.
With so much quality in the upper reaches of the Premier League table, it’ll be a tough season for Villa, as the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham have their sights on the top four too.
However, Emery has shown that he’s right up there among the best managers in the English top flight, so optimism is certainly high at B6.