Aston Villa received huge boost ahead of Liverpool clash but latest result provides fresh injury concern
Aston Villa have been hit with a new injury setback despite some positive news this week.
Liverpool will have little time to rest following their meeting with Wolves on Sunday, as Aston Villa await for a midweek clash. The match, now booked in for Wednesday, was moved to avoid an overlap with the Carabao Cup final weekend, which will see the Reds take on Newcastle United.
Villa had requested for the match to be moved to March, or later in the season, due to a congested run of fixtures piling up this month. The Premier League denied Villa’s request, leaving the club ‘frustrated’. Unai Emery has also spoken out on the situation commenting that it’s ‘not fair’ on his team.
Villa’s run of games between now and March features meetings with Liverpool, Chelsea and Crystal Palace in the Premier League, followed by a Cardiff City in the FA Cup on February 28th. The West Midlands side were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Ipswich Town on Saturday, further denting their hopes of a top four finish.
Aston Villa handed big boost ahead of Liverpool clash
Emery dropped a positive piece of news ahead of the Ipswich clash, and as promised to the reporters and fans, he proved to be a man of his word.
After being without two key players in the form of Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings, the manager confirmed the duo had trained with the rest of the team and would be in the squad to face the Tractor Boys.
Watkins slotted straight back into the starting lineup, while Mings was named as a substitute. However, the defender was called upon sooner than he maybe expected, as Boubacar Kamara was forced off the pitch inside 20 minutes, with Mings taking his place against his former side.
Having Watkins back proved the difference for Villa, who converted his side’s first goal of the game to force an equaliser after going 1-0 down. The England international capitalised on a great free-kick opportunity from Marcus Rashford, which crashed against the woodwork. Watkins put the rebound into the back of the net but Villa couldn’t find a way to win the match after the equaliser.
Aston Villa injury setback
In a bittersweet match, Villa were able to enjoy the return of Watkins and Mings but they are now faced with doubts over the fitness levels of Kamara. The defender signalled to come off early on in the match, with little information made known over why he couldn’t carry on.
Emery gave a brief update on Kamara when asked about the situation following their draw to Ipswich. When he was asked why the 25-year-old had to come off, the manager replied: “I don't know now but I think it is not a lot.”
While it sounds like a minor issue, there is still little to be known about how long Kamara could be sidelined for. Whether he will be available to face Liverpool next week remains to be seen.