Unai Emery issues three Aston Villa team news hints before Club Brugge clash

Unai Emery has confirmed Pau Torres, Matty Cash and Tyrone Mings could all feature for Aston Villa during Tuesday evening’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg clash against Club Brugge.

The defensive trio have all partaken in full team training and travelled to Bruges, putting them in line for starts. Pau, a vital member of Emery’s back four, has been the longest absentee with a broken metatarsal – an injury which kept him out for two months. Cash and Mings, on the other hand, have been sidelined since the 2-1 win over Chelsea on February 22.

Boubacar Kamara, meanwhile, is expected to gain minutes off the bench following his return to the matchday squad against Cardiff City on Friday. Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley remain unavailable following injury setbacks, whereas Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia were not included in the squad registration for the Champions League knockout phase.

Providing a full team news update on Monday evening, Emery said: “They are not in the squad, Onana and Barkley. Malen and Garcia are not in the list. The other players are in the squad – Pau Torres, Mings and Matty Cash. Kamara was in the squad Friday and for tomorrow he could start playing minutes.”

Villa have struggled so much recently with a lack of squad depth across the back line, so welcoming three defensive players back from injury comes as a significant boost. Clean sheets have been few and far between throughout the past two months - leading to Emi Martinez developing concerns - but the fortunes could now change.

The 2-0 victory over Cardiff in the FA Cup fifth round was certainly a step in the right direction as Villa preserved their first clean sheet since the 1-0 win away at Everton on January 15. The shutout against the Bluebirds was only the third in the last 20 outings across all competitions.