Aston Villa host Leeds Utd on Wednesday night, and Steven Gerrard has delivered positive news on the injury front ahead of the game.
It will have been almost three weeks since Villa’s last outing with our win over Everton coming on January 22, and so the players will no doubt be itching to get back out on the pitch.
READ MORE: How Villa could line up vs Leeds Utd: Konsa hope, key trio expected to feature
While it promises to be a difficult task against Marcelo Bielsa’s side, morale and confidence should be high within the Villa camp as we look to put together a strong run to finish the Premier League season.
In order to have the best possible chance of doing that, Gerrard will want to have as close to a fully-fit squad at his disposal as possible, and there was good news on the injury front this week.
“We’ve now got Leon Bailey back in full training, but he won’t be in the squad for tomorrow. Bertrand Traore’s in transit and on his way back from the Africa Cup of Nations,” Gerrard told the media on Tuesday, as reported by the club’s official site. “To get them back in the squad for the coming fixtures will be a big help and they’ll feel like two new signings because we haven’t seen much of them at all. That’s been a frustration for them and for us.
“Besides that, there’s only Marvelous Nakamba who’ll be missing as he’s got a long-term one. We’re fully fit, fresh and ready to go. The atmosphere and feel around the place is really positive.”
That comment on the rest of the squad is key, as after Ezri Konsa was absent for the friendly against Molde at the weekend, there were concerns that he perhaps had picked up a knock and was in turn a doubt to face Leeds.
However, Gerrard allayed those fears before Konsa himself posted on Instagram hours later to confirm that he’s ready to play, and so that is a huge boost given how important he has been for us again so far this season.
While Bailey won’t make the squad in midweek, it sounds as though he is nearing a return to action, and having him offer another crucial option in the final third will be significant for Gerrard as we look to finish the campaign in positive fashion.
‘Ready for tomorrow’ – Ezri Konsa on Instagram.
Some doubts after missing Molde friendly, but ready to go, as noted by SG in presser earlier.
Great news 👊🏽🟣🔵#avfc #UTV pic.twitter.com/56DD89M96O
— Talk Villa (@thetalkvilla) February 8, 2022