Aston Villa are back in action this weekend as we host Leicester City on Saturday afternoon, hoping to maintain our recent strong Premier League form.
With a break last week due to the FA Cup schedule, Unai Emery will have had time to work with the players and possibly even have a short break ahead of preparing for this game, as we look to make it four wins in our last five league outings.
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Leicester will arrive desperate for points as they remain dangerously close to the relegation zone, and so Villa will have to be on form from the opening whistle as the break hopefully hasn’t disrupted our momentum.
Given our quiet transfer window, which saw Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran arrive as well as seven exit the club, there is concern over a possible lack of depth in the squad for the remainder of the campaign and so it’s imperative that we get everyone fit and keep them healthy.
While Diego Carlos is hopefully back in full training at some point this month, there was a double boost in training this week as both Lucas Digne and John McGinn were seen working with the rest of the group, as per the tweet below.
It’s another positive sign for Digne after he was seen training last week after recovering from a shoulder injury in our win over Leeds Utd last month, and although Moreno has impressed since stepping in, it’s important for Emery to have options and competition.
As for McGinn, he hasn’t featured since our New Year’s Day win over Tottenham after pulling up with a hamstring issue, and so it’s a huge boost to have him back with the rest of the group as he will be a big presence on his return to the matchday squad. His experience coupled with the impressive performances he was starting to produce under Emery are real positives, and the Spaniard will no doubt be pleased to be able to call upon him again.
The hope is that the pair will both be available for selection on Saturday, and with Duran also seen working hard with his new teammates this week, the Colombian youngster will be no doubt be itching for his first taste of Premier League football and he’ll hopefully be able to hit the ground running having had a little time to now settle and adapt.
Lucas Digne ✅
John McGinn ✅Good to see pair in group training ahead of Saturday off the back of injuries. Jhon Duran amongst it too. Hopefully stay as close to a fully-fit squad as possible 🤞🏽#avfc #UTV 🟣🔵 pic.twitter.com/rwLcE7VgVu
— Talk Villa (@thetalkvilla) February 1, 2023
