Aston Villa will look to get their tilt for a top four spot back on track on Saturday when they welcome Brentford to Villa Park – but Unai Emery could be missing as many as eight first-team players as Villa look to maintain their two-point lead over Tottenham Hotspur in the race for a Champions League place.
Star striker Ollie Watkins and World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez are among the players who could be out of action after both missed the 4-1 defeat at the Etihad on Wednesday evening, with England striker Watkins expected to face a late fitness test.
We’ve collected all of the latest team news and injury updates below, and ventured our best guess as Emery’s starting side – and if you’re looking for information that might help your Fantasy Premier League team, check out our high-flying FPL manager’s regular advice column.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Illness meant that goalkeeper Martínez was absent out for just the second time this season against Manchester City. Emery told reporters after the game that he was “not feeling good” but that he believes the Argentine “will recover for Saturday.”
Full-back Matty Cash remains unavailable thanks to the hamstring injury which has kept him out of the last two matches, and is expected back towards the end of April. He is also likely to miss next weekend’s game against Arsenal. Tryrone Mings is not expected to feature again this season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament on the opening day of the season.
Midfield
Jacob Ramsey is very likely to miss out again thanks to the foot injury he sustained during the 3-2 win over Luton Town at the very beginning of March. Emery told the media that he “is not getting better like he wants” adding that “we are not in a hurry with him.” The manager stopped short of ruling him out of Saturday’s match, but it seems highly unlikely that he will feature.
Italian winger Nicolò Zaniolo is the other major doubt. The former Roma man picked up a knock in the game against Manchester City, but Emery said that he will “hopefully” be available. John McGinn will certainly be available as he returns from a three-match ban for the red card he picked up against Spurs.
Meanwhile, both Boubacar Kamara and Emiliano Buendía are out of action for the season after picking up serious knee injuries of their own. Buendía should be back to fitness in time for pre-season training, while Kamara is not expected back until September.
Forwards
The big question mark is over England striker Watkins, who was forced off with a hamstring at half-time in the 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and missed out in midweek as a result. Emery has described the injury as “small” but stated that he will be assessed on Friday to see whether he can play any part against Brentford. If he is not ready to return, Jhon Durán will deputise once more.
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