Four Aston Villa men absent from training as Unai Emery update awaits for Olympiacos clash

Four Aston Villa players were not present in the public eye at an opening session ahead of their Europa Conference League semi-final with Olympiacos on Thursday.

Sky Sports News reporter David Reed was in attendance and brought the latest injury update. He said in a post published on X: “As you were at Aston Villa open training today.” “Emi Martinez, Youri Tielemans, Nicolo Zaniolo and Alex Moreno all not involved in the section in front of the cameras. “Unai Emery news conference later. Kortney Hause doing some individual work.”

He was shown two yellow cards against the French side but was not sent off thus sparking confusion. The 2022 World Cup winner was booked in the 39th minute and then in the shootout for gamesmanship during the shoot-out and was also carded in the first leg. UEFA confirmed he had received three yellow cards and as a result he would have to sit out the first match which takes place at Villa Park.

An injury problem has now emerged though after Martinez was substituted at half-time in the draw with Chelsea. He suffered a thigh issue according to Infobae and they say that fortunately the severity of the injury isn't as bad as initially thought with him set to be on the sidelines for a fortnight, though he is targeting a return for next week’s return match.

Belgian midfielder Tielemans was another player that suffered an injury at the weekend. It was reported that he had a groin issue but fortunately it wasn’t thought to be serious. It is unsure yet how long he could be sidelined or if he will miss the match this week.

Nicolo Zaniolo is another potential absentee after missing the last two matches. He suffered a slight injury against Lille and missed out agaisnt Bournemouth and Chelsea. Alex Moreno has been sidelined for the last three weeks with a calf injury but was expected to return around this time.

For some of the players their absence from the public eye might not rule them out completely. They could be working with the coaching and medical staff to focus on other aspects ahead of the game.