Aston Villa could welcome back two injured stars against Crystal Palace - but three ruled out
The latest team news and injury updates ahead of Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Unai Emery is hopeful that two of his four injured Aston Villa players could be back in time to take on Crystal Palace this evening, while another remains on international duty.
Villa have been short of defensive options for several weeks after Pau Torres was withdrawn during the second half of the 2-1 victory over Arsenal on December 6, while Tyrone Mings hasn’t played since sustaining a hamstring injury away at Liverpool on November 1.
Both Pau and Mings have been working hard to return as soon as possible, and, although they missed the congested festive period, Villa could soon have them ready for selection once more. That’s a huge boost ahead of the end of January and the beginning of February, when the regularity of fixtures ramps up again.
Emery confirms two injured Villa players nearing returns
Albeit eager to welcome Pau and Mings back, Emery won’t rush the duo into action. The same goes for any players still jaded from the weekend’s win over Nottingham Forest. “We are training now, after the press conference. We will see how the players are after the match we played on Saturday,” Emery said.
“Pau and Tyrone are close. We are going to train now, and I don't know if they will be available or not. There is no (Ross) Barkley, no (Evann) Guessand, or Amadou (Onana). But we have enough players, and after the training we will decide if someone is close, like Pau and Tyrone Mings.”
It’s unlikely Pau or Mings will feature at Selhurst Park, then. But there’s at least a chance. One thing that is for sure, there will be no Barkley, Guessand or Onana. Barkley has a knee injury and probably won’t be back until the middle of February at the earliest, Onana is looking at several more weeks out with a thigh issue, and Guessand remains at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast.
Should Lindelof continue to start?
Despite Pau and Mings shifting closer to fitness, Emery may be tempted to continue playing Victor Lindelof. The 73-time Sweden international has been an excellent stand-in at left centre-back, adopting the role of a ball-playing defender on his weaker left foot. Lindelof did brilliantly in this aspect away at West Ham United, when he assisted Morgan Rogers’ second goal.
The former Manchester United man has shown the occasional frailty, however. The goal conceded against Forest was a subtle example as Lindelof stepped up to try and catch Igor Jesus offside but instead played the scorer, Morgan Gibbs-White, on. Pau or Mings may have made the same mistake, in fairness, but they are more accustomed to Emery’s system.
For now, at least against Palace, Lindelof should continue to get the nod. But once Pau and Mings are back properly, those two should leapfrog Lindelof in the pecking order, restoring parity from before their injuries. That may seem harsh, but Pau and Mings are the more natural left-sided centre-backs. They’re also better, quite frankly.