Aston Villa face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday, and Unai Emery has provided our latest team news ahead of the encounter.
Villa begin the weekend in fifth place in the table, just a point adrift of the top four, and while we’re unbeaten in our last six league outings, it’s hoped we can extend that run at the City Ground.
READ MORE: How Villa could line up vs Nottingham Forest: One key change Emery could make
With European commitments to consider in midweek, it was hoped that there would be positive news on the fitness front with no fresh injury concerns, while Villa were handed a boost during the week as Alex Moreno resumed group training.
In turn, as we look to continue to compete on multiple fronts, having as close to a fully-fit squad available as possible will be key, and Emery delivered the latest news on his squad in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“We have the same players out, still, of course, Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendía,” he said, as per VillaTV. “Jacob Ramsey is working individually and getting better, but not for the next two weeks before the (international) break. I think he’s not going to be available.
“Álex Moreno is progressively getting better and he’s training with the team, not completely, but progressively getting better and he is very close to being available to play.
“Maybe to be with us on Sunday in the squad, he could be.”
Having Moreno back in the squad will be an important boost to add competition and depth at left-back, and given the influence he had in the second half of last season following his move from Real Betis, he will be a crucial option for Emery with Lucas Digne taking on a significant workload so far this year.
If the Spaniard is unable to return this weekend, he’ll be eyeing a place in the squad to face AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night, while Villa face Fulham next Sunday in our final game before the break.
As for Ramsey, it’s hoped that he can continue to make progress and complete his recovery to feature again towards the end of the month, while The Express and Star’s Matt Maher adds that Jhon Duran is a doubt with the toe infection that forced him to sit out the win over Luton Town last time out.
