Aston Villa are preparing for another demanding stretch of the season as Unai Emery looks to keep his squad competitive across multiple fronts. With European football now taking centre stage alongside the Premier League, the Villa boss will need to carefully manage his players while making sure the team remains strong enough to compete at the highest level.
The Champions League presents another major test for Emery’s side, with Villa set to begin their campaign against Club Brugge in Belgium. The trip comes at an important stage of the season, with every available player potentially having a role to play as the club faces a packed schedule.
However, Villa will not have their full squad available for the European opener, with some players still working their way back to full fitness.
Johan Manzambi will miss the Champions League clash with Club Brugge as he continues his recovery from injury. Emery confirmed that the midfielder is making good progress, but he will not recover in time to feature in Belgium.
Leon Goretzka is also unavailable and is expected to remain sidelined until after the international break because of a knee injury. His absence leaves Emery with another experienced option missing from his midfield at a crucial point in the campaign.
There is some positive news in the department, though, as João Gomes is available again after completing his Premier League suspension.
Discussing the situation surrounding his injured players, Emery insisted that injuries are simply part of football and that his squad must be prepared to cope with them.
“The injured players, for me, are something normal,” Emery said.
“Every player is the same, and when we are closing the squad with two players for each position, with some young players trying to use their potential more and more, like George, performing very well.
“Other players can have some injuries and we must be ready to replace them. We have João Gomes available after his suspension in the Premier League.
“Goretzka’s injury and his issue is a little bit frustrating, but we have players to replace him, like Ross Barkley, like João Gomes, Lamare Bogarde and Kamara.”
Emery is also hoping Goretzka can make a strong impact once he returns, particularly after Villa brought the experienced midfielder into the squad during the summer.
“When he’s coming back, hopefully he can get the consistency training and playing and we can add his experience because his experience is something we added when we signed him,” Emery said.
“He’s a player who will help us in different competitions with the level he has.”