Aston Villa injury news leaves Unai Emery without five players for Sunday’s Premier League opener against Brighton, while Tammy Abraham and Alejandro Garnacho remain fitness doubts. João Gomes, Brian Madjo, Amadou Onana, Johan Manzambi and Leon Bailey are all expected to miss the trip to the Amex Stadium.
Villa begin their Premier League campaign at 2pm BST on Sunday, with Emery forced to manage a squad that has undergone major changes during the final weeks of the summer window.
Brighton’s official match preview lists five Villa players as unavailable for the fixture.
There is more uncertainty around Abraham and Garnacho, although neither has been definitively ruled out.
Aston Villa injury news: five ruled out against Brighton
João Gomes will not make his Premier League debut this weekend.
The summer signing picked up a calf problem around Villa’s UEFA Super Cup meeting with Paris Saint-Germain and is expected to remain sidelined until early September.
His absence is particularly significant because Villa’s midfield is already depleted.
Amadou Onana remains out with the serious knee injury he suffered while representing Belgium at the World Cup, while Johan Manzambi is also unavailable because of a knee problem.
It leaves Boubacar Kamara carrying additional responsibility in the centre of the pitch.
Read Aston Villa’s updated predicted XI against Brighton looks at how Emery could reshape his midfield without those options.
Brian Madjo is another confirmed absentee.
The teenager made an immediate impact after finally becoming eligible for Villa, scoring against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup, but his momentum has been interrupted by injury.
Leon Bailey completes the current list of five players expected to miss the opener, with the winger sidelined by a muscle problem.
Tammy Abraham and Alejandro Garnacho remain doubts
Abraham’s availability remains less certain.
The striker slipped awkwardly during Villa’s final pre-season friendly against Borussia Mönchengladbach and was withdrawn during the second half.
There has been no official confirmation that Abraham will miss Brighton, with Sports Mole’s latest Villa injury updatelisting him as a minor doubt.
Garnacho also faces a late decision.
The Chelsea loanee has not featured since suffering a head injury earlier in August and is behind the rest of the squad in terms of match fitness.
He could still be considered for a place on the bench if cleared to return.
Villa have no players suspended for Sunday’s game.
Watkins available as transfer uncertainty continues
Ollie Watkins’ situation is different.
The striker’s future remains uncertain after Villa received offers for him, with Unai Emery acknowledging that a departure remains possible before the transfer deadline.
However, there has been no indication that Watkins is unavailable because of injury.
That makes him the leading candidate to start at centre-forward if he remains a Villa player when the teams are named.
Villa’s attacking options become particularly important if Abraham is not ready, with Madjo already ruled out.
Emery does at least have several new arrivals available as he reshapes the side.
Zion Suzuki, Matteo Ruggeri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have all joined ahead of the opener, giving the Villa boss new options across his defence.
Supporters can find the full Brighton vs Aston Villa TV channel, kick-off time and streaming details here.
Brighton have injury problems of their own, with several important players unavailable against Villa.
For Emery, the biggest remaining questions concern Abraham and Garnacho before the confirmed teams arrive shortly before kick-off.
