Aston Villa visit Hull City on Saturday knowing they desperately need to get their season moving.
Villa have lost both of their Premier League matches without scoring, leaving them 19th in the table with zero points.
They have struggled to get going in attack after losing Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers, while their new signings have yet to settle into their new surroundings.
The pressure is already building, and Hull represent another difficult test for the Europa League champions.
Match preview
Villa’s squad has undergone significant surgery this summer, with the club bringing in a host of young players as several established stars departed.
The players who left accounted for 55 percent of Villa’s Premier League goals last season, making the scale of the rebuild obvious.
Manager Unai Emery knows his new-look squad needs time, but he is not using that as an excuse.
The Spaniard wants Villa to compete at the highest level again, insisting that now is the time to work rather than talk about the difficulties of rebuilding.
Villa have no points, no goals and have not registered a single shot on target in their opening two league matches. Another defeat would leave them staring at an unwanted piece of history.
They could become the first team since 198/87 to finish in the top four and then lose their opening three games of the following campaign.
Meanwhile, Hull could hardly be in better spirits. They have beaten Manchester United and Coventry City to begin life back in the Premier League with six points from six.
Sergej Jakirovic’s side have also kept two clean sheets and are now targeting three consecutive victories.
They are direct, aggressive and dangerous on the counter, making this a fixture Villa cannot afford to underestimate. Emery knows that.
Villa have won six of their eight Premier League meetings with Hull, drawing one and losing one.
Hull have won just one of their last 16 meetings with Villa across all competitions.
Aston Villa team news
Joao Gomes is suspended after his red card against Brighton & Hove Albion and will serve the second game of his three-match ban.
Johan Manzambi is back in training but is not ready to return, while Brian Madjo and long-term absentee Amadou Onana are unavailable.
Emery has suggested that his players are otherwise ready to feature, with the club’s new arrivals progressively becoming more accustomed to his methods.
Veteran midfielder Leon Goretzka could make his full debut, while Taylor Harwood-Bellis and ‘talented youngster‘ Ibrahim Mbaye are also pushing for their first appearances.
With Emery needing more control and experience in midfield, Goretzka could come into the starting XI alongside Boubacar Kamara.
Aston Villa predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1)
Zion Suzuki; Matty Cash, Victor Lindelof, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen; Boubacar Kamara, Leon Goretzka; John McGinn, Emiliano Buendia, Ibrahim Mbaye; Nicolas Jackson.
