Peppered with injuries before the season even began, it’s remarkable that Aston Villa’sassault on the top four is going strong as Unai Emery’s side target Champions Leaguequalification come May.
Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings both sustained ACL injuries in the first week of the new campaign as Jacob Ramsey, Tim Iroegbunam and Alex Moreno continued to nurse injuries during the summer months. Not until September did Ramsey and Moreno return, before they sustained setbacks in their recoveries from respective foot and hamstring injuries.
Pau Torres, Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans have all spent time on the sidelines for extended spells, while Jhon Duran, Ezri Konsa, Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos are all currently injured. Right now, Villa are down to the bare bones, but will just about be able to cope in the final three months of the campaign.
Clement Lenglet impressed alongside Torres on the right side of defence in the recent win over Fulham, while Villa are unbeaten in seven games under Emery when John McGinn has deputised for Kamara in the double pivot with Douglas Luiz.
However, a further injury in midfield or defence could be devastating for Villa’s chances of securing Champions League football and indeed going far in the Europa Conference League, while it’s also imperative Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez remain fit for the rest of the campaign too.
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