Aston Villa had a disastrous first leg of their UEL semi-final tie with Nottingham Forest on Thursday night. Not only did they lose at the City Ground 1-0, but midfielder Amadou Onana suffered a fresh injury. Onana had just been passed fit, after missing out on last weekend’s loss to Fulham, with a minor knee injury.
But tonight he suffered a new calf injury, and he had to be subbed off 55 minutes in.
Tottenham Hotspur at Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Sunday May 3, 7pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Team News: Tottenham Hotspur Part 1 Tottenham Hotspur Part 2 Aston Villa
Google Result Probability: Tottenham win 70% Draw 17% Aston Villa win 13%
Premier League Standing: Tottenham 18th, 34 pts, DLLDW Aston Villa 58 pts, LWDLW
Aston Villa Team News
“The first half he was telling us he was feeling something in his calf,” Aston Villa manager Aston Emery said in postgame. “I don’t know how he is going to recover.
“Hopefully in a few days he can recover. We must be careful and we will see how he progresses.”
Consider Amadou Onana a doubt versus Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The only other injury concern right now is Alysson, who is supposedly drawing closer to a return, from an unspecified/undisclosed injury, but he won’t be back this weekend. The club hasn’t been too revelatory about what is specifically going on with him.
And then of course, Boubacar Kamara has long been ruled out for the season with a knee injury.
Simply put, this is a massive match for both sides.
Eight points clear of Brighton for the final UEFA Champions League qualification slot, with four matches left to play, a win here would pretty much clinch UCL participation for next season. And Tottenham, of course, are two points behind West Ham United for the final safety spot in the table.
So we have a good old-fashioned relegation scrap going on between these two huge money London clubs.
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.