The first of the three European finals kicks off on Wednesday night, when Aston Villa takes on SC Freiburg for the UEFA Europa League crown. This year’s host city is Istanbul, and when Villa take to the pitch in the Turkish capital, they could be without the services of up to five players. It’s the same quintet who missed out on the 4-2 route of Liverpool on Friday night. Tyrone Mings, Victor Lindelof, Amadou Onana and Allyson are all doubts for the UEL finale while Boubacar Kamara is definitely ruled out of this continental competition’s title tilt.
Europa League Final FYIs
Aston Villa vs SC Freiburg
Kickoff: Wed May 20, 8pm, Tupras Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey
How They Got Here (aggregate scores):
Aston Villa: 4-1 Nottingham Forest (Semi-finals), 7-1 Bologna (Quarter-finals), 3-0 LOSC (Round of 16)
Freiburg: 4-3 Braga (Semi-finals), 6-1 Celta (Quarter-finals), 5-2 Genk (Round of 16)
Aston Villa Team News
And honestly, Onana and Allyson probably won’t feature again this term. After all, there is only this match and then Championship Sunday left as opportunities!
It kind of feels like the timeline just keeps getting moved back with these two. Or maybe it’s just that there hasn’t been a whole lot of specific info revealed about their injury situations, and we just don’t really know. Onana is battling a calf injury now, after having dealt with knee problems earlier this season.
Meanwhile Allyson is dealing with an adductor problem, and this is actually his fourth different injury since he signed with the Birmingham based club.
The prognosis and outlook is much better for Mings (hip injury that is thought to be minor) and Lindelof (unspecified knock).
Both are expected to be potentially be available.
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.