Aston Villa hosts Sunderland in a match-up of two Premier League sides focused on securing UEFA qualification for next season. Villa remain in fourth place, three points ahead of Liverpool for the fifth and final Champions League qualification position. Sunderland are tenth, so the very last slot on the first page of the standings, but at the same time, just one point behind Brentford FC for the Conference League qualification position. So this a game with much more significance that you might think. Without any further ado, let’s assess the injury/fitness fitness situation, starting with Villa. Alysson remains out, as he’s still a week or two away from returning.
Aston Villa vs Sunderland FYIs
Kickoff: Sun April 19, 2pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Premier League Standing: Aston Villa 4th, 55 points Sunderland 10th, 46 pts
Google Result Probability: Aston Villa 56% win Draw 25% Sunderland win 19%
Team News for Both Sides
And then of course Boubacar Kamara remains sidelined, for the rest of the season, with a knee injury. Otherwise Villa boss Unai Emery has a fully fit squad. Shifting gears to the Black Cats, Romain Mundle (thigh), Simon Moore, Jocelin Ta Bi (ankle) and Bertrand Traore (knee) are out.
Meanwhile Nilson Angulo (unspecified/undisclosed) is a doubt and Dan Ballard (thigh) has been passed fit to feature this weekend. Black Cats boss Regis Le Bris provided a potential timeline of return for his injured trio.
“Nilson, Bertrand and Jocelin are still sidelined, but they are close to reconnecting with the squad,” RLB said. “Probably around the Nottingham Forest game.”
He also implied that Ballard may not feature this weekend, or if he does, only in a limited role.
“He is fully fit,” Le Bris said of Ballard. “He has trained normally this week and is available for selection. But you have to understand the dynamic of the group, and the key for Ballard is to build his fitness levels.”
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, Ratings and RG. 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 and the Washington Post.