Aston Villa team news has taken a major late turn before the UEFA Super Cup, with Unai Emery confirming Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Emiliano Martinez will not face Paris Saint-Germain.
Watkins and Konsa returned to training this week, but all three players are still being given additional recovery time following their involvement at the World Cup.
The confirmation comes as a surprise after Watkins and Konsa were pictured back with the group ahead of Wednesday night’s final in Salzburg.
ReadAstonVilla reported earlier on Tuesday that Watkins and Konsa had returned to training, raising hopes that they could be involved against the European champions.
Emery has now made clear that the final comes too soon.
Reuters reports that Watkins, Konsa and Martinez will all be absent against PSG, with Villa continuing to manage the recovery of players who went deep into this summer’s World Cup.
Aston Villa team news changes dramatically before PSG
Losing three potential starters significantly alters Emery’s plans.
Watkins’ absence creates the most obvious problem in attack. His movement behind the defence could have provided Villa with an important outlet against PSG’s aggressive defensive line, particularly when Emery’s side regain possession.
Konsa would ordinarily have a strong claim to start in defence, leaving Emery with another significant selection decision against a PSG attack packed with quality.
Martinez’s absence should meanwhile create another opportunity for Marco Bizot.
The Dutch goalkeeper produced an encouraging pre-season performance against Bayern Munich, with ReadAstonVilla previously looking at how Bizot’s display had strengthened his case for more opportunities.
There is at least some encouragement for Villa in PSG’s own preparation.
Luis Enrique has admitted several of his players have had very little training time following the World Cup, and the PSG manager does not expect his side to immediately perform at their highest level.
That gives Villa reason to believe they can still compete in Salzburg, but the loss of Watkins, Konsa and Martinez together leaves Emery with three substantial problems to solve before kick-off.
