Aston Villa and Crystal Palace both have injury doubts to contend with ahead of their return to Premier League action this weekend.
Both sides meet at Villa Park on Saturday at 3.00 pm, and unfortunately not everyone has come through unscathed during the international break. The nature of the Premier League means it has the best players, and some have jetted to various different continents, and so some will need to be managed differently to others.
Villa suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Liverpool before their players went off to represent their countries on international duty. It was a bad day at the office for Unai Emery's men who lost Diego Carlos through injury after just 20 minutes, in what was a triple whammy after Dominik Szoboszlai's early opener and then Matty Cash's own goal made it an uphill battle.
The Eagles meanwhile beat Villa's Midland rivals Wolves 3-2 at Selhurst Park thanks to a brace from Odsonne Edouard and a 78th-minute insurance goal from Ebrechi Eze. Roy Hodgson's side are ahead of Villa by a point in the league standings after four games.
The hosts have had their fair share of long-term injuries this season, and know that more than £60m worth of talent will not be at their disposal for the majority of the campaign. Both clubs this week had to submit their 25-man squad lists to the Premier League, whilst in Villa's case there was also a need to submit another squad to UEFA, ahead of their UEFA Europa Conference League group stage starting next week.
Ahead of the clash, here’s an early look at the injury situation for both sides.
1. Tyrone Mings - out
Stretchered off against Newcastle United with a knee injury. Likely to be out for the rest of the season. Photo: Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
2. Emiliano Buendia - out
Suffered a knee injury in August and is likely to be out for the rest of the season. Photo: Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
3. Diego Carlos - doubt
The 30-year-old defender was forced off with a hamstring injury against Liverpool before the international break and is a doubt for the weekend. It’s not expected to be a serious injury and he didn’t require a protective brace or crutches, but it could be enough to rule him out this weekend. Photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images)
4. Alex Moreno - doubt
Alex Moreno has resumed training after missing the start of the campaign. Is he fit enough to make a match-day squad? Photo: Getty Images