Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has confirmed our latest team news ahead of facing Tottenham in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Villa will be looking to advance in the competition to keep our hopes of winning silverware this season alive, and despite the troubles that the visitors are currently experiencing, both in terms of injuries and recent form, it promises to still be a difficult challenge.
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It had been hoped that there would be positive news on the injury front for us this week to boost Emery’s options, but the Villa boss has confirmed that five players will be missing this weekend having spoken to the media in his pre-match press conference on Friday, with Tyrone Mings, Pau Torres, Matty Cash, Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins all sidelined.
That’s undoubtedly a blow, particularly in defence with three important players unavailable in that department while January signing Axel Disasi is cup-tied, and so the expectation is that Boubacar Kamara will be forced to deputise as a makeshift centre-half once again.
While the Frenchman has been excellent wherever he has been asked to play, it’s obviously not his natural position and it leaves us more vulnerable, while we simultaneously miss his influence in midfield.
“We are going to work tomorrow, but at the beginning, we have out, not available for Sunday, Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres, [Matty] Cash, Ross Barkley and [Ollie] Watkins,” he told the media, as per VillaTV. “For him [Watkins], each day is being important, how he is feeling, but for Sunday, I think he is not going to be available because today he didn’t train.
“Tomorrow, I think he is not going to train as well, because he will need more days to recover. Hopefully, for next week, he will be available.
“Other players, more or less, hopefully [will be available], because this week we are working like not usual, with the days like we had, not playing during the week.
“We are working and, of course, as well, with the new players, trying to practice and to prepare for Sunday.
“We have time to take, even tomorrow as well, and some players today, we did a little bit less than yesterday, and before yesterday.
“Tomorrow, again, we are going to check everybody, in case we are feeling good, every player for Sunday.”
While it’s a setback to be missing so many key individuals, there are potentially set to be debuts for Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio to look forward to, as the pair have been busy this week in training getting up to speed, adapting and integrating into the squad.
That additional firepower in the final third will give us more dangerous options in our attacking unit, and it will be fascinating to see how quickly that duo can make their presence felt in the squad, with Rashford possibly set to start given Watkins will not be leading the line for Villa on Sunday.
However, there will be a concern over the balance in the side given our defensive absentees, and so it’s hoped that we’re able to get through another game before the likes of Mings and Disasi come into contention to help us shore things up at the back.