Yesterday saw Aston Villa manager Unai Emery provide a couple of updates on the fitness of his players Ezri Konsa and Leon Bailey. Both were doubts for the 2-2 draw with Liverpool, and neither one ended up making the matchday squad.
Now, for the next game, at home to Chelsea FC on Saturday, Bailey and Konsa will need to pass late fitness tests.
Chelsea FC at Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Feb. 22, 5:30pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Aston Villa Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Chelsea FC: Starting XI Prediction and Team News
PL Position, Form: Chelsea 6th, 43 pts, DWLWL Aston Villa 8th, 19 pts, DDLDD
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 38% Draw 26% Aston Villa 36%
Aston Villa Team News
“Konsa as well is close to being with us,” said Emery, before then informing the media about Leon: “Bailey is close to being with us again. I don’t know tomorrow; he’s a doubt.”
Both players have unspecified knocks, so they should be fine. Ross Barkley could return for this match as well. Amadou Onana, however, is still about a week or so away.
And then after Onana, Boubacar Kamara and Pau Torres could be back in the mix right before the March international break.
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.