Aston Villa are back in action this evening with an away clash against Fulham in the Premier League.
Their previous outing saw the Villans lose 2-0 to Chelsea at Villa Park last weekend.
Heading into this showdown in west London, it appears as though Steven Gerrard has been handed an injury boost in one area of the pitch that his side have been struggling in the most.
A recent post from the official Villa Twitter account had this to say regarding the current fitness situation of striker Cameron Archer.
It said: “Archer will come back into the frame for the trip to Fulham on Thursday, after missing the Chelsea game through illness.”
Archer has only made three substitute appearances for Villa in the league this season, the latest of which saw him play nine minutes in the 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest earlier this month.
With eight touches of the ball in those nine minutes, the 20-year-old managed to win one duel and successful complete the one dribble he attempted.
Bearing in mind how Villa have struggled in front of goal this season by only having four clubs rack up fewer shots on target than them (35) prior to today’s fixtures, having Archer back in the squad and possibly on the pitch for a significant period of time could be what they need to have a bit more of an attacking bite.
During his loan spell in the Championship last season with Preston North End, Archer managed to end the season with the highest rate of shots on target per 90 minutes (1.11) out of any player at the Lancashire club.
This shows how much of a nuisance he could be for opposition goalkeepers now that he’s back at Villa.
Therefore, having him back available to take on Fulham could be the boost that Gerrard needs to get his side on track.
