Aston Villa certainly got a rude awakening and brutal reality check yesterday. The top of the table clash with Arsenal was very one-sided, and not in their favor, so the best thing to do is quickly move on to the next one. That’s a visit from Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and it will see the Villans welcome back Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara.
Both are now eligible for selection again here, after having served match bans for yellow card accumulation.
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Jan 3, 12:30pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Result Probability via Google: Aston Villa 53% Draw 25% Nottingham Forest 22%
Premier League Form, Standings: Aston Villa WWWWL, 3rd, 39 pts Nottingham Forest LWLLL, 17th, 18 pts
Aston Villa Team News
That can only help, as Unai Emery will have more players available now, to pick a stronger team. There is a new injury concern though- Amadou Onana, who exited the blowout loss to Arsenal, just before halftime, with tightness in his hamstring.
We’ll await the assessment news on that for later. Meanwhile Tyrone Mings, Ross Barkley and Pau Torres are all moving closer towards returning from injury, but it won’t be here.
And then finally, Evan Guessand remains away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
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, RG.org and Ratings.org. 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.