Promising Socceroo goalie finally makes Aston Villa debut

After joining Aston Villa from Adelaide United in February,  Joe Gauci finally made his first appearance for the Villains on Wednesday in the club’s 2-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the English League Cup. Unai Emery gave the 24-year-old a chance to play over the club’s normal No. 1 Emi Martinez.

Man of the match performance

Coping with debuts is never easy, especially for goalkeepers, where one mistake can be the difference from your team winning or losing. For Australia’s Joe Gauci though, it seemed like just any other match.
 
The promising Socceroo faced 12 shots from Wycombe and was forced into making five saves during the match, three more than Wycombe ‘s goalkeeper made.
 
Gauci and the rest of Villa’s defence kept the Wanderers quiet for the entire first 45 minutes. The first half ended 0-0 and was a fairly even contest overall to the point.
 
Villa blew things open with a 55th minute goal from Emiliano Buendia. It was the Argentine’s goal for Villa since tearing his ACL 16 months ago. He has made three first team appearances for the Villains so far this season.
 
Wycombe had a chance to score just after via a stooping header from veteran Garath McCleary. Gauci blocked the effort by making a stunning diving save.
 
Colombian Jhon Duran doubled Villa’s lead with a penalty in the 88th minute, and Gauci finally conceded a goal in the 95th minute to see the match end 2-1.

Unai Emery’s side will face Crystal Palace in the next round. If the match against Wycombe is anything to go by, Gauci could get a chance to play again and get a taste of what Premier League opposition is like against Palace.
 
The betting sites like Villa’s chances of getting past Palace. Most soccer betting odds have them as sixth favourite to win the entire Leagues Cup with $12 chances. Man City are the betting favourites at $3.75, followed by Arsenal ($6) and Chelsea ($8.50) rounding out the top three.

Bright future for Socceroos star

While Joe Gauci might get a chance to start again in the League Cup versus Palace and whoever else the Villains might come up against, his odds of usurping Emi Martinez are pretty unlikely.
 
The World Cup winner is one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and an emotional leader for Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

If he continues to impress though, Gauci could end up securing a move down the pyramid to a Championship or League one side. At 24-years-old, playing time is exactly what the former Adelaide United man needs right now.

Socceroos No. 1 Maty Ryan isn’t getting any younger. His place in Australia’s starting lineup could be up for grabs. If Gauci improves on his game between now and 2026, he could be between the sticks for Australia at the US, Mexico, and Canada World Cup in two years.