Aston Villa’s injury list continues to grow for Unai Emery, with Harvey Elliott the latest setback, as a limited squad faces Leeds
Aston Villa head into Saturday’s game against Leeds United knowing victory would further strengthen their grip on a top-three spot and even reopen the Premier League title race, but Unai Emery must contend with a growing injury list.
Villa sit third in the league, five points clear of Manchester United below them, three behind Manchester City in second and eight adrift of leaders Arsenal, albeit with a game in hand on the Gunners. However, momentum has been checked by fitness issues ahead of the visit of Leeds.
Emery confirmed that Harvey Elliott has suffered a setback and will not feature this weekend, adding to an already lengthy list of absentees.
“The players who were injured are still being injured – John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans and Alysson,” Emery said.
“Harvey Elliott, as well, is not available for tomorrow. The other players are available.”
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That leaves Villa without five injured outfield players, while goalkeeper Marco Bizot is also unavailable due to suspension — further limiting Emery’s options.
Cash boost but midfield concerns remain
There was at least some positive news for Villa supporters, with Matty Cash returning to training and back in contention.
“Matty Cash is coming back. He trained the last two training sessions and he is feeling good, and he is coming back,” Emery confirmed.
Cash’s availability offers defensive reinforcement, but the absence of McGinn, Kamara and Tielemans continues to deplete Villa’s midfield depth at a critical stage of the season.
Emery also provided an update on Emi Buendía, who took a knock during the FA Cup defeat to Newcastle. After a full week of recovery, there is growing optimism surrounding his availability, with the situation appearing more positive than initially feared.
Despite the setbacks, Villa remain mildly in the title conversation and firmly in the race for Champions League qualification. A win at Villa Park would maintain pressure on those above them, but Emery’s patched-up squad will need to dig deep to overcome Leeds and keep their impressive campaign on track.