From a selection standpoint, it’s good news, bad news for Aston Villa manager Unai Emery as his side prepares to take on Crystal Palace this Sunday.
Boubacar Kamara suffered a thigh injury last weekend, and although Emery hasn’t ruled him out, as of yet, reports seem to indicate that he won’t return to action until after the international break.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
Kickoff: 8pm, Sun. Aug 31, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Result Probability: Crystal Palace 23% Aston Villa 51% Draw 26%
PL Standing, Form: Crystal Palace 14th, 2 pts DD Aston Villa 17th, 1 pt, DL
Aston Villa Team News
The good news for Villa is that Ezri Konsa is back available again, having now returned from suspension. Otherwise nothing new here.
UEFA Competition Draws
Both of these sides qualified for Europe this season, and yesterday, they learned who exactly they will be facing in those UEFA competitions this term. So let’s run through those lists now.
Crystal Palace Conference League Draw
Home: AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands), KuPS (Finland), and AEK Larnaca (Cyprus).
Away: Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine), RC Strasbourg (France), Shelbourne FC (Republic of Ireland).
Aston Villa Europa League Draw
Home: RB Salzburg (Germany), Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel), Young Boys (Switzerland), Bologna (Italy)
Away: Feyenoord (Netherlands), Fenerbahce (Turkey), Basel (Switzerland), Go Ahead Eagles (Netherlands)
Aston Villa Starting XI Prediction vs Crystal Palace
Emi Martinez; Matty Cash, Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne; Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans; Donyell Malen, Morgan Rogers, John McGinn; Ollie Watkins
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter