Aston Villa suffer devastating injury blow ahead of vital Liverpool and Chelsea fixtures

Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara is expected to be sidelined for at least a fortnight through injury, ruling him out of four important matches.

The Frenchman, who has been utilised by Unai Emery as a centre-half throughout recent fixtures due to a shortage of defenders, won’t be available to face Liverpool, Chelsea or Crystal Palace in the Premier League. He’s also a major doubt for the hosting of Cardiff City in the Emirates FA Cup fifth round.

Kamara hobbled off in the 16th minute of the 1-1 home draw with Ipswich Town on Saturday and was replaced by Tyrone Mings, who was only just returning from an injury of his own. The Athletic reports Kamara has since been assessed for a muscular issue and will be out for a minimum of two weeks while he recovers.

That time frame gives an expected return date of Saturday, March 1 –j ust after the FA Cup game against Cardiff. The following weekend, Villa travel away to Brentford in the Premier League with the yet-to-be-arranged UEFA Champions League last 16 ties set to be played in the midweeks either side.

Unai Emery infuriated by ‘unfair’ Aston Villa treatment

It’s a far from ideal time for Kamara to be injured as Villa’s upcoming fixture schedule has been arranged in a rather ridiculous manner. The clash with Liverpool being brought forward from March 15 to this Wednesday (February 19) means Villa will play just one Premier League game this month but four in the space of merely 10 days to round off February.

Addressing the subject in his pre-Ipswich programme notes, Emery said: "When we thought we earned the right on the pitch to have two weeks with no midweek games (by skipping the Champions League play-off round), suddenly and with short notice the authorities advanced the Liverpool match. A match that could be perfectly pushed back in the season.

"Surely, we're not the only ones to feel this unfair schedule and we're also aware that to fit in the matches with the extremely crowded international schedule isn't easy, but common sense says that it can be much more balanced and rational.

"I know people in charge are not concerned by our complaints, but they must not forget the players are human beings. They need some rest and a rational schedule. There is nobody that can face with energy and safety, four matches in 10 days."

Mings is the likeliest replacement for Kamara over the next fortnight but it’s going to be incredibly difficult for the former England international to sustain sharpness, especially given his own struggles with injuries. Ezri Konsa could also step into the left-sided centre-back role with Axel Disasi completing the pairing but the Chelsea loanee is ineligible to play against his parent club on the weekend.

Villa always knew they’d be short of defensive options when they sold Diego Carlos to Fenerbahce and failed to replace him until the last minute, so it can’t come as too much of a surprise that they’re now having to deal with the consequences.