Aston Villa entered the October international break with some injury concerns. The time off, in theory, was supposed to help the situation, but instead things got worse. We’ll get you up to speed now on Ezri Konsa, Jacob Ramsey, Amadou Onana, John McGinn, Jaden Philogene and others.
Yes, there are a lot of injured parties to cover here, as Unai Emery has nothing short of a fitness crisis on his hands.
Aston Villa at Fulham FC
Kickoff: 3pm, Sat Oct. 19, Craven Cottage, London, UK
Aston Villa Preview Content: Team News Injury Updates Starting XI Prediction
Result Probability: Fulham FC 39% Aston Villa 34% Draw 27%
PL Standing, Form: Fulham FC 8th, 11 pts DDWWL Aston Villa 5th, 14 pts, WWWLL
Aston Villa Team News at Fulham FC
We’ll start with Konsa, who picked up a hamstring injury in the goalless draw with Manchester United. While the problem forced him out of international duty with England, he could be back in time for Saturday.
As for Onana, he also has a hamstring injury, which kept him out of the last game with Villa, and Belgium duty.
He could make the matchday squad here though.
Moving on to Ramsey, he has a groin injury that although more serious than knock isn’t thought to be longer-term, and he’s regarded to be 50/50 for this one.
Elsewhere skipper John McGinn (yet another hamstring injury) remains out, with a timeline of return TBD.
Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara, who are both recovering from serious long-term knee injuries, each played 45 minutes with the Under-21s. They’re moving closer to a place in the matchday squad for an upcoming match, and with that a potential cameo off the bench.
Will that be against Fulham? Finally, Philogene picked up an unspecified knock on international duty, and is a doubt here.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network and RG.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.