Unai Emery faces a nervous wait on the fitness of Amadou Onana, with the powerhouse midfielder set for a 11th-hour test ahead of tonight’s massive Europa League first leg semi-final against Nottingham Forest.
- Onana missed Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Fulham and will be assessed before tonight’s 8pm kick-off
- Forest are without Murillo, Hudson-Odoi, John Victor, Savona and Boly, with Cunha, Ndoye and Sangaré all doubts
- Kick-off at the City Ground is at 8pm BST, live on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max from 7pm [LINK]
The Onana situation. Villa’s most pressing question
The most significant team news update heading into tonight concerns Amadou Onana.
The Belgian midfielder missed Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Fulham and has been assessed throughout the week. Emery confirmed at his pre-match press conference that the 23-year-old would be given every possible opportunity to prove his fitness ahead of kick-off but his involvement remains genuinely uncertain.
If Onana fails to make the starting XI, Lamare Bogarde is expected to partner Youri Tielemans in central midfield, a pairing that struggled at Craven Cottage last weekend.
The 22-year-old Dutchman made just one tackle and 29 passes during the Fulham defeat, a return that will need significant improvement against a Forest side operating with genuine intensity and quality in the centre of the park.
Ian Maatsen and Tyrone Mings could both return to the starting XI having featured from the bench at the weekend. Emery may opt for greater defensive solidity given the away context with a clean sheet in the first leg potentially more valuable than an early goal.
The tactical puzzle remains the most fascinating element of Villa’s preparation for tonight‘s historic occasion.
The confirmed absences. Villa’s unavailable list
Four players are definitely absent for tonight’s first leg. Boubacar Kamara remains a long-term casualty with the serious knee injury that ended his season prematurely.
Despite his recent Premier League contributions, Villa did not register Ross Barkley in their Europa League squad at the start of the campaign. Alysson is similarly unregistered. All three will play no part across either semi-final leg.
Forest’s own injury problems. The opportunity remains
Nottingham Forest arrive at the City Ground with their own significant defensive concerns. Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi are both confirmed absentees.
John Victor, Nicolò Savona, and Willy Boly are all long-term casualties. Furthermore, Jair Cunha, Dan Ndoye, and Ibrahim Sangaré are all listed as doubts, adding further uncertainty to Vitor Pereira’s selection options for the biggest game of his Forest tenure.
Predicted Aston Villa XI
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Bogarde, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins.
