Aston Villa have several availability decisions to make before Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Nottingham Forest at Villa Park.
Unai Emery’s side return to domestic action after beating Club Brugge 3-2 in the Champions League, but João Gomes will drop back out because of suspension.
Matty Cash is the main fitness concern after missing the trip to Belgium, while Leon Goretzka remains unavailable and Johan Manzambi is still working towards his return.
Matty Cash latest
Cash missed the Club Brugge game after experiencing muscle soreness.
Our Matty Cash injury update explained that Villa chose not to risk the defender in Belgium, with the hope that he could recover in time for Forest.
The latest Aston Villa availability assessment from Premier Injuries has Cash being assessed ahead of Saturday.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka started at right-back in his absence against Brugge and would be the obvious alternative if Cash does not recover.
João Gomes suspended against Nottingham Forest
Gomes is definitely unavailable.
The midfielder is serving the final match of his domestic suspension following his red card against Brighton.
His ban did not apply in Europe, allowing him to start against Club Brugge, but he cannot feature against Forest.
That absence is why Ross Barkley features alongside Boubacar Kamara in our Aston Villa predicted XI against Nottingham Forest.
Gomes will be available again for Villa’s following domestic fixture.
Goretzka and Manzambi injury latest
Goretzka will not make his Aston Villa debut this weekend.
The midfielder is currently expected to remain sidelined until October as he works his way back to full fitness.
Manzambi is closer.
Emery previously confirmed that the summer signing had returned to group training and was progressing well, but admitted he could need additional time before being ready for either Club Brugge or Nottingham Forest.
The latest Forest injury and suspension round-up therefore lists Manzambi as a major doubt for Saturday.
Brian Madjo is also doubtful with an ankle problem, while Amadou Onana remains a long-term absentee after suffering an ACL injury.
Villa are yet to issue a fresh pre-match medical bulletin for the Forest game, so this page should be updated once Emery provides his final team-news assessment.
Saturday’s match kicks off at 3pm BST. Our Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest TV guide explains why the game cannot be shown live in the UK.
