Aston Villa face Crystal Palace in the Premier League this weekend, and Unai Emery has provided our latest team news ahead of the encounter.
After a poor run of form prior to the international break, Villa know the importance of getting back on track in this game as we look to put together a strong run heading into the festive period.
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It won’t be easy against a Palace side who seemingly cause us problems every time we face them, and it will be further complicated by the injury troubles that we’ve encountered over the past fortnight.
Both Jacob Ramsey and Boubacar Kamara picked up setbacks against Liverpool prior to the break, while the likes of Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen and Amadou Onana returned home early from international duty with knocks.
It was hoped that Emery would have positive updates on Friday in his pre-match press conference, and here’s what the Villa boss said on current injuries in the squad and who will miss out on Saturday against Palace.
“Konsa, Amadou Onana, Kamara and Ramsey [are out],” he told the media. “We are adding other players after small injuries like Cash and Barkley. We are going to try to feel confident with the players we have in the squad, trying to be ready when the opportunity to play is coming for them.
“They have small injuries,” Emery added on Konsa and Onana. “They have to rest and recover. Each day is important. Maybe [they] could come back for the next match, but I have to focus on the players we have now.”
While it’s certainly good news to have Cash back in particular given how important he is in giving us balance at the back when he starts on the right side, Barkley’s return is also timely given both Onana and Kamara aren’t involved this weekend.
Nevertheless, losing Konsa and Onana is a blow given how important they’ve been to start the season, while it’s another frustrating setback for Kamara and Ramsey having overcome recent injury blows already.
It’s reassuring to an extent to hear Emery allay fears over Konsa and Onana as they might be in contention to face Juventus in the Champions League next week, but time will tell when Villa get back to having a full squad available again, as it will be imperative in our bid to compete across multiple fronts and get back to winning ways consistently after a rut in previous weeks.