Aston Villa could be boosted by the return of winger Leon Bailey against Nottingham Forest.
Bailey suffered a hamstring injury in Villa’s last Premier League match against Southampton last Saturday. After chasing a pass from John McGinn on a counter-attack, he knocked the ball out of play before sitting on the floor to get assistance from the medical staff.
The Jamaica international subsequently missed Villa’s Champions League clash against RB Leipzig on Tuesday night as Unai Emery’s side won 3-2. But speaking ahead of facing Leipzig, Emery said Bailey could return to action when Forest host Villa at the City Ground in the Premier League on Saturday (5:30pm).
"It is a very small injury," Emery explained. "He is not here for tomorrow (Tuesday). We will wait for the next match on Saturday.”
While the return of Bailey would be a boost for Villa, they could be missing striker Ollie Watkins against Forest. Watkins was forced off at half-time against Leipzig, being replaced by Jhon Duran who scored one of Villa’s three goals.
Emery confirmed after the final whistle that Watkins was withdrawn due to injury. “In the first half Watkins had a small injury and Duran replaced him and played the same level and scored one goal,” he said.
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