Aston Villa will get striker Jhon Duran back from suspension tomorrow night, when they visit Everton FC. It was certainly a very questionable, to say the least, ban because Duran was put in a tough position where there really wasn’t anything he could do. But now that Jhon Duran is back, this should help the Villans bang in the goals, at a lower table side that is once again in a relegation scrap. We’ll see if Jhon Duran gets a starting assignment here.
Elsewhere Diego Carlos Santos Silva faces a late fitness test here, as he seems to have recovered nicely from his foot injury.
Aston Villa at Everton FC
Kickoff: 7:45pm, Wed. Jan. 15, Goodison Park, Liverpool, UK
Aston Villa Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Result Probability: Everton 29% Aston Villa 41% Draw 30%
PL Standing, Form: Everton 16th, 17 pts DDDLL Aston Villa 8th, 32 pts, LWLDW
Aston Villa Team News
And, with the final team news note, first choice goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez missed out on the Friday night win over West Ham, in the FA Cup, due to an unspecified, minor injury. However, he seems to be fine, and will play here.
“He was injured,” said Villa boss Unai Emery.
“It’s a small injury. He was not 100 per cent ready to play. We decided to play Robin Olsen… I think [he can return on Wednesday], but we will need to check him more.”
Pau Torres, Ross Barkley and the team captain, John McGinn, remain out as long-term injury absentees.
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, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America 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, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.