The latest Aston Villa team news, injury updates and predicted line-up ahead of a crunch clash with Spurs.
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Aston Villa will search for their first Premier League win of the season when they take on Tottenham Hotspur in a battle of the top flight’s crisis clubs on Saturday – but Villa’s hopes of coming out on top could be hampered by a series of injury concerns.
Matty Cash, João Gomes and rising star Brian Madjo are among the players who could miss out on the match in North London, and in total Unai Emery could be compelled to make do without as many as eight senior players for what looks like a must-win match.
With the early kick-off fast approaching, we’ve collected all of the latest Aston Villa team news and injury updates below along with our prediction for Emery’s likely starting line-up against Spurs.
Cash & Gomes among key injury doubts ahead of Spurs showdown
Among the players at risk of missing out on Saturday are full-back Cash and midfielder Gomes, neither of whom played in the midweek EFL Cup win over Coventry City.
Cash did at least make the bench but was not risked after experiencing discomfort during the warm-up. The full-back has now missed three matches in a row due to an unspecified muscular injury, and remains a doubt for the game against Spurs as a result. Emery has not provided an update on his status since the Coventry match.
Gomes, meanwhile, is available for selection following the end of his suspension for a red card he collected against Brighton & Hove Albion in August, but may still miss out due to a calf injury. Emery has said that he may take “some days” to return, adding that it was “uncertain” whether he would be fit to face Spurs. Both he and Cash face late fitness tests.
Other doubts include young striker Brian Madjo, who has been sidelined by an ankle injury since scoring a memorable debut goal against PSG in the UEFA Super Cup. There have been conflicting reports regarding whether the 17-year-old stands a chance of playing before the international break which gets underway after this weekend’s fixtures.
Reserve goalkeeper Marco Bizot, meanwhile, had to be substituted at half-time against Coventry after feeling pain in his lower back. It is unclear, as it stands, whether he will be available to play against Spurs, but there is at least good news on the health of summer signing Johan Manzambi, who came off the bench again on Coventry as he works towards his first Villa start. That could come this weekend.
Goretzka among four Aston Villa players set to miss out
While Cash, Gomes, Madjo and Bizot are doubt, four players are confirmed to be unavailable – including new arrival Leon Goretzka and key centre-half Pau Torres.
Goretzka told the media that his “body has reacted to the increased workload after my time away from the pitch” after sustaining a knee injury, adding that he expected to be fit again after the international break. Torres, meanwhile, has suffered a hamstring strain which will likely see him miss a number of weeks. An October return after the break looks probable, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis set to replace the Spaniard in the line-up.
Full-back Ian Maatsen, meanwhile, will be out for “a long, long time,” according to Emery after suffering a serious ankle injury. He is expected to be sidelined for around two months. He will at least be back sooner than Amadou Onana, who will miss most or perhaps all of the season after rupturing his ACL during the World Cup.
The other key selection decision Emery has to make is whether to restore striker Nicolas Jackson to the starting line-up or whether to hand Tammy Abraham another chance after he scored twice in midweek.