Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has confirmed that neither Jacob Ramsey nor Ollie Watkins will be available to face Man City on Wednesday night.
Villa travel to the Etihad Stadium in midweek looking to solidify our position in fourth place in the Premier League table, off the back of an important win over Wolves last weekend.
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However, we’ll take a weakened squad to Manchester, as the Villa boss has shared our latest team news following an anxious wait to determine how serious the injury Watkins sustained last time out was.
The Villa forward was replaced at half-time on Saturday with Emery confirming that it was a hamstring issue, and although he initially allayed fears by suggesting that Watkins was ready to continue but was advised by the medical staff not to risk it, he’ll now sit this encounter out.
“They will not be available for tomorrow,” he told the media in his pre-match press conference. “They have small injuries.
“Jacob Ramsey is not getting better like he wants. We are not in a hurry with him. For tomorrow he will not be available. “With Ollie, it is more or less the same. Ollie’s injury is a small injury, with some days rest, maybe he could be available for the next match.”
While it’s obviously a blow to be without our talismanic top goalscorer and we’ve missed the quality that Ramsey brings to the team through his various spells on the sidelines, a key strength for Villa this season has been our depth and the ability of others to step up and deliver when necessary.
With such a slender lead in the battle for fourth spot, albeit fifth place could be enough for a Champions League qualification berth too this year, it’s imperative that we try and get a positive result in midweek and take confidence into our encounter with Brentford at the weekend.
However, clearly there are no risks being taken with those currently injured, with Matty Cash also ruled out while captain John McGinn will serve the last game of his suspension before returning on Saturday.
Emery has options without Watkins given the versatility in the group, but the expectation is that Jhon Duran could get the nod and a big opportunity to impress by leading the line and hopefully firing us to a victory.