Aston Villa, who entered the midweek Premier League fixture at Brighton near full fitness, didn’t emerge unscathed (well sort of). They beat the Seagulls 3-0, but in the run-up to the victory, we learned that Leon Bailey has an unspecified issue that kept him out of action.
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. April 5, 5:30pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Aston Villa Preview Material: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Result Probability via Google: Aston Villa 33% Draw 25% Nottingham Forest 42%
Premier League Form, Standings: Aston Villa DWLWW, 7th, 48 pts Nottingham Forest LDWWW, 3rd, 57 pts
Aston Villa Team News
Said manager Unai Emery on Tuesday:
“Leon, still, with a hard kick, and I think he is not going to train this afternoon, and for tomorrow, difficult to play the match.”
He’ll have to pass a late fitness test in order to make the squad on Saturday. As for the only other injury concern, well-traveled veteran midfielder Ross Barkley, well, we have some good news.
His knee injury is healing and he’s resumed training with the rest of the squad.
“At the beginning [of the session], Barkley, he was training with the group yesterday,” Emery said in the same session where he discussed Bailey.
Barkley won’t be returning her for this match, but next week at Southampton FC is a strong possibility.
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. 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.