We have an all-Premier League UEFA Europa League semi-final on our hands, so you know what that means? Yes, you’re guaranteed to have an English club in the UEL Final. Aston Villa visits Nottingham Forest on Thursday night, as the two sides begin their two-legged tie. We have new injury concerns, on both sides, in Jair Cunha for Forest and Amadou Onana with Villa.
We’ll cover both, as well as the rest of the team news, injury concerns, unavailability situations etc. right now.
UEFA Europa League Semi-finals
Aston Villa at Nottingham Forest: Leg 1 of 2
Kickoff: Thurs. Apr 30, 8pm, City Ground, West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, UK
Team News for Both Sides
Villa have had a squad that has been pretty close to full fitness for a couple months or so now. The only exceptions have been Alysson and Boubacar Kamara. The former won’t be back any time soon and the latter is ruled out for the season.
As for Onana, he missed out on the 1-0 win over Fulham on Saturday due to injury. He is a doubt for this match coming up.
“I don’t know when he is going to be available,” Villa manager Unai Emery said this past weekend.
“It is something for the doctor, every day how he is progressing. I don’t know if he is going to be ready for tomorrow or next Thursday.”
Shifting gears to the Tricky Trees, manager Vitor Pereira addressed the team’s injury and fitness situation over the weekend:
“I am concerned about this because if we lose players in the same position at this time, it is a big problem. I hope. We will see. I am not a doctor, so we will see.”
Brazilian centre-half Murillo (thigh) is not likely to be fit for this one, after missing out on the 5-0 obliteration of Sunderland over the weekend. He is expected to return to action at some point in May.
While that match was a glorious victory and a true rout, it still came with a cost as Cunha suffered a shoulder injury and was forced off in the 50′.
He’ll likely miss out here, as will the likes of Willy Boly, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Nicolo Savona and John Victor.
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.