Aston Villa will take on Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday evening (5:45 PM kick-off), but they could be without as many as seven first-team players due to injuries and squad selection decisions.
Unai Emery’s squad has been gradually recovering from injuries in recent weeks, with some key players edging closer to full fitness. Goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who was substituted at half-time against Crystal Palace, was deemed fit enough to start in the FA Cup tie against Cardiff City. Meanwhile, Boubacar Kamara returned to the bench after overcoming a hamstring issue.
However, Villa were still missing Ross Barkley, Matty Cash, Amadou Onana, and Pau Torres for the Cardiff match, though all four are making progress in their recoveries. Tyrone Mings was also absent from the squad despite having been named on the bench for the Palace game.
Emery is expected to provide a fresh team update when he speaks to the media in Belgium on Monday evening. Additionally, Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia will be unavailable for the Champions League knockout stages, as they were not registered in the squad for the competition.
Injury Updates
Tyrone Mings
Mings sustained a knee injury in Villa’s win over Chelsea but was fit enough to be named on the bench against Crystal Palace last week.
Before the FA Cup clash with Cardiff, Emery confirmed that the centre-back would not be involved but did not specify when he would be ready to return to action.
Matty Cash
The Polish right-back made his comeback from injury in Villa’s 2-2 draw against Liverpool last month and then started in the following match against Chelsea. However, he missed the game against Crystal Palace.
Emery had suggested that Cash might feature against Cardiff, but he ultimately did not make the squad for that fixture.
Possible return date: Club Brugge (A) – Tuesday, March 4
Ross Barkley
Barkley has not played since sustaining an injury in the first half of Villa’s FA Cup third-round tie against West Ham in January.
The midfielder later revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that he had suffered a medial collateral ligament tear in his knee. Despite the setback, he is nearing a return to full fitness.
Possible return date: Club Brugge (A) – Tuesday, March 4
Pau Torres
The Spanish centre-back fractured a metatarsal in the late December draw against Brighton but has since returned to light training on the grass with the ball.
Possible return date: Brentford (A) – Saturday, March 8
Amadou Onana
Ahead of Villa’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool 11 days ago, Onana stated that he was still a couple of weeks away from making his return. The midfielder remains on the road to recovery, with hopes of rejoining the squad soon.
