Aston Villa ace taken off during international clash as defender involved in embarrassing defeat while star player bags an assist

Aston Villa face an away trip to London on Sunday to play Tottenham Hotspur. Unai Emery’s side were in decent form before the international break. They are unbeaten in their last five games and will be looking to pick up where they left off.

The Midlands outfit are positioned in 13th place in the Premier League table after their first seven fixtures. They made a slow start to the new season but seem to have clicked now. Donyell Malen scored twice for them last time out as they beat Burnley 2-1 at Villa Park.

Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne assists for France

Aston Villa left-back Lucas Digne assisted for France on Monday evening in their latest World Cup qualifying match against Iceland. The defender set up Christopher Nkunku’s goal, with Crystal Palace striker Jean Philippe-Mateta also finding the net. However, Didier Deschamps’ side were only able to pick up a 2-2 draw in the end at Laugardalsvöllur in front of 9,151 spectators which was frustrating considering they had 70% possession and 20 shots.

France are top of Group D and have won three out of their first four matches. They have 10 points on the board and have scored nine goals, conceding only three. Ukraine are three points behind them in 2nd, whilst Iceland are 3rd on six points.

Digne, 32, has made 53 caps for his country to date. He has been on the books at Aston Villa since joining them back in 2022. He has played 147 appearances for them in all competitions to date, nine of which have come in this campaign, and he has chipped in with four goals from the back. He has also had spells in the past with the likes of Lille, PSG, Barcelona and Everton.

Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana substituted for Belgium against Wales

Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana started for Belgium against Wales. He was substituted in the second-half though. Rudi Garcia’s team won 4-2 at the Cardiff City Stadium with Thomas Meunier and Leandro Trossard getting their goals, whilst Kevin de Bruyne bagged a brace, as they took a step closer to booking their place in tournament in USA, Canada and Mexico.

Onana, 24, has featured on 23 occasions for his country. He joined his current club last year from Everton and made 34 outings during his first term. The Senegal-born man played for Hoffenheim, Hamburg and Lille before moving over to England.

Aston Villa snapped up Victor Lindelof this past summer on a free transfer. His contract at Manchester United expired in late June and he subsequently weighed up his options. Emery then swooped to secure his services and he provides him with more competition and depth at the back.

Lindelof played the full game for Sweden in their most recent World Cup qualifying fixture. However, they slumped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Kosovo. They have picked up just one point from their World Cup qualifiers and it is the second time they have lost to Kosovo - who are 59 places beneath them in the FIFA rankings.