Aston Villa praying for positive injury news ahead of huge semi-final
Unai Emery is hoping for a triple fitness boost for Thursday’s semi-final showdown with Olympiacos after Morgan Rogers became Villa’s latest injury victim.
The attacker was forced out of yesterday’s 1-0 defeat at Brighton with a muscle injury and is now a doubt for the Europa Conference League semi-final second leg in Greece. But Emi Martinez, Youri Tielemans and Nicolo Zaniolo could be back as Villa look to overturn a 4-2 first leg deficit.
Zaniolo travelled to the south coast for yesterday’s match but was kept out as a precaution after experiencing a “small pain” after making his return from injury in midweek.
“On Thursday he pushed it to help us. This morning he told us he wasn’t feeling good,” said Emery.
“I appreciate his effort. He needs time to recover. His attitude is fantastic and we will need him in case he gets better. Alex Moreno is coming back, hopefully Youri Tielemans now after Morgan Rogers is out.”
Joao Pedro’s 87th-minute goal condemned Villa to defeat at Brighton, as they missed the chance to seal Champions League qualification.
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.