Aston Villa have to feel really good as they head to AS Monaco in midweek, given their weekend result. The Villans went to Arsenal, a Premier League title contender, and came away with a point.
That’s got to feel like a victory, and that positive momentum will now carry over to the UEFA Champions League, where they’re actually doing better than at home.
UEFA Champions League Matchday 7 of 8
Aston Villa at AS Monaco
Kickoff: Tue. Jan. 21, 5:45pm, Stade Louis II, Monaco
Team News vs AS Monaco
Villa sits eighth in the Premier League table, but fifth in the UCL standings. As Villa make the trip to the Principality club, we have two new injury updates to discuss. Unai Emery said the following yesterday on team captain John McGinn and this thigh injury:
“John is starting to train on the field, but not for tomorrow.”
So he’s getting closer, but likely won’t feature at Monaco in midweek. He could feature next weekend, and the same goes for Diego Carlos and his ankle/foot injury.
Emery gave an update on Friday:
“Diego, this morning, in the medical report, he’s not feeling good, and I think he’s not going to be [available] for tomorrow.”
Other than that, the team news situation remains the same for the Villans.
Starting XI Prediction vs AS Monaco
Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Ian Maatsen; Boubacar Kamara, Lamar Bogarde; Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Leon Bailey; Jhon Duran
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, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. 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.