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Remi Garde will watch his U21s in action on Monday night as he considers changes for next weekend’s trip to Stoke City.

The Aston Villa boss was appalled with the 6-0 battering against Liverpool last time out and will freshen things up for the trip to the Britannia Stadium.

With Rudy Gestede, Jack Grealish and Carlos Sanchez pushing to return from injury, Garde is likely to have options going into the game.

He’s also put the younger members of the squad on red-alert and is expected to be in attendance when the U21s host Swansea on Monday night.

“We have 12 games remaining and there is still the possibility to win these games,” he said.

“I will find 11 or 18 players that still have the fight to win.”

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Garde may turn to recent substitutes Ciaran Clark or Jordan Lyden when assessing his next starting XI.

The Frenchman is unlikely to make wholesale changes, though, and will not throw the kids in for the sake of it.

He understands the situation is fragile and that a disappointing debut could knock confidence and hinder their development.

If a stand-out performer does emerge the boss could promote him into first-team training and assess whether he has the ability required for the senior set-up.

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Niall Mason and Easah Suliman are two of the club’s brightest defenders and have both featured in the squad this season.

Keinan Davis and Andre Green have also been tipped as potential stars of the future but they are unlikely to be risked with Premier League points still at a premium.

With the FA Cup fifth round taking place this week Villa have been given the weekend off but they will return on Monday refreshed and up for the fight.

The U21s clash against Swansea could include some senior players as Garde runs the rule over their fitness but he will largely give the youngsters the chance to impress.