Aston Villa are back in Premier League action this weekend following the international break
Sign up to our BirminghamWorld Today newsletter
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to BirminghamWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
Submitting...
Aston Villa have seen an upturn in results over recent weeks following their slow start to the new season. They beat Burnley 2-1 at Villa Park last time out before the international break. Attacker Donyell Malen got himself on the scoresheet twice against the Clarets to help his side pick up a useful three points.
The Midlands outfit are positioned in 13th place in the Premier League table after two wins from their first seven fixtures. They are back in action this weekend as they look to keep their momentum going. Up next is an away trip down to London to play Tottenham Hotspur.
Aston Villa injury latest regarding Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa attacker Ollie Watkins was taken off in England’s last match against Wales after colliding with the goalpost. He managed to get himself on the scoresheet against Craig Bellamy’s side earlier in the game. Morgan Rogers and Bukayo Saka also bagged at Wembley as the Three Lions ran out comfortable 3-0 winners.
Watkins has since been sent home and won’t feature for his country against Latvia. Unai Emery will need to assess him over the coming days and decide whether he is fit to play against Spurs. Villa won’t want to take any risks with him and will only select him if he is fully available.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has recently shared this latest update regarding his situation: “Instead of scoring, he injured himself unfortunately. It was such a big chance, an easy second goal for him. He was unlucky to hit the goalpost. It was very painful for him still and it's just not possible for him to train and also not to play. So, we sent him home.”
What is Aston Villa’s best front three if Ollie Watkins is injured?
Aston Villa will have a decision to make on who to play in their front three against Spurs if Watkins is sidelined. Rogers should be in confident mood after his goal for England and will be looking to score some more goals in the league now. It has been a tough opening couple of months of the campaign for him.
Rogers, 23, is yet to find the net in the Premier League. Nevertheless, he still has plenty of time to turn things around and he should get the nod in the starting XI again against Thomas Frank’s side. He joined his current club back in January 2024 after catching the eye in the Championship with Middlesbrough and he has since become one of their most prized assets.
Evann Guessand was snapped up by Aston Villa in the last transfer window to bolster their attacking department. He gives them more competition and depth at the top end of the pitch. The forward was on the bench against Burnley but may well come back into the starting XI against Spurs.
The 24-year-old has taken a while to get going and will be hoping to get off the mark sooner rather than later. Prior to his transfer, he impressed with OGC Nice in Ligue 1 and fired 13 goals last term. As with many players from abroad, it takes time to adapt to life in England and fans need to be patient with him whilst he continues to find his feet.
Aston Villa’s swoop for Malen from Borussia Dortmund hasn’t quite gone to plan yet. The 26-year-old has struggled to truly make the impact he would have wanted to so far. However, his two goals against Burnley will have done him the world of good and he deserves to start against Spurs as he eyes more success in front of goal. Emery then has others to pick from off the bench like Emi Buendia and Harvey Elliott amid concerns over Watkins.