Aston Villa have three injury situations updates, ahead of their trip to Arsenal: Pau Torres, John McGinn and Ross Barkley. Here is the latest on the trio of injured Villans, as we approach what is certainly the standout fixture on the Saturday slate of Premier League fixtures.
Arsenal vs Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Jan 18, 5:30 pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Arsenal Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Aston Villa Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 65% Draw 21% Aston Villa 14%
Aston Villa Team News
On Barkley (who has a lower extremity injury), manager Unai Emery said the following on Tuesday: “Ross is, more or less, two-three weeks more.” So we won’t see the well-traveled, veteran midfielder until February.
Regarding El Capitan, Emery gave this update on the same day: “McGinn will need one-week minimum to be close with us, training and being available to play.”
McGinn is battling a thigh injury while Torres is dealing with a foot problem. Emery provided the following update a couple days ago: ‘Pau Torres is longer, maybe he needs another 6-8 weeks more.’
Finally, Diego Carlos and Jaden Philogene remain out as longer-term injury absentees.
This, on paper at least, looks like it should really be a great game.
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.