A place in the UEFA Europa League semifinals is all but assured for Aston Villa at this point. The door is wide open to that opportunity; all they have to do is walk through it. However, they do have a couple key injuries to overcome, in order to close the deal. First choice goalkeeper and summer transfer target of Manchester United Emiliano Martinez has a calf injury, and his timeline for return is unknown.
Elsewhere the Jadon Sancho shoulder injury seems to be a very fluid situation; figuratively, not literally.
UEFA Europa League Quarter-final Leg 2 of 2
Aston Villa vs Bologna FC 1909
Kickoff: Thurs, Apr 16, 8pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Aggregate: Aston Villa leads 3-1.
Aston Villa Team News
“He’s improving and getting better, Sancho,” Villa manager Unai Emery said on Friday. “We will see how he is tomorrow because he was an injury for a few days or one, two or three weeks, but now it’s the second week, just starting the second week with his injury.”
Emery also gave an update on Alysson, saying of the right winger (during his news conference on Friday): “Alysson is starting to train with the group as well, progressively getting better.”
Don’t expect Sancho or Alysson to feature on Thursday night. And other than that, there are no new iniury concerns to cover at this time.
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.