Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has provided an injury update on his squad and while it’s good news on Matty Cash, Lucas Digne and Ludwig Augustinsson are out of contention.
Villa face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Monday night, as we look to extend our three-game unbeaten run while trying to continue to show improvement after some unconvincing performances.
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There was frustration after we failed to find a way past Leeds Utd last time out with our rivals being reduced to 10 men for most of the second half, but having shown defensive improvement, it’s hoped that we can now find a balance and show more quality in attack to go with that and win more games.
While we’re still languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table and with Forest rooted to the bottom and desperate for a result, this will be a vital game and there was mixed news on the injury front as Gerrard provided updates on all those who have suffered recent setbacks.
Gerrard on Villa injuries
“Matty Cash is back in full training and he’s available for Nottingham Forest. Calum Chambers has done half of the session today and he’ll continue to pick training up from now until Monday. He’s got a decent chance to be involved,” Gerrard told the media, as per VillaTV.
“Ludwig Augustinsson will be out for around three weeks – he’s got a hamstring injury on the back of the Leeds game. We’ve also got Leon Bailey, who has got a small muscle issue. He’s a doubt for the weekend but he’s not totally ruled out.
“In terms of Lucas Digne, it’s a complicated one that’s going to rumble on for a few more weeks before we can assess it. I’ll have some news on Digne in a couple of weeks, but he won’t be available for Forest.”
Getting Cash back is a major boost given what he offers both defensively and offensively on the right side, while Ashley Young can shift across to left-back and fill in for Digne and Augustinsson.
The lack of detail and specifics on Digne’s injury is concerning as there is no real clarity on how long it will take for him to recover, while losing Augustinsson is a blow given he only made his debut last Sunday and looked to be settling into the side.
It’s hoped that Chambers is passed fit as he could be another useful option either at centre-half or at right-back to provide cover for Cash, while Emiliano Buendia could be in line to come into the Villa starting XI if Bailey is ruled out.
Villa have depth in the squad this year and so we have good options to come in and deputise, but we must now kick on and show more attacking quality to go with the solid defensive foundation that we’ve laid in the last three games, with that all-important balance still missing.