Matt Maher previews Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv
An important Aston Villa player could soon return from injury.
Aston Villa could welcome back a pivotal player against either Maccabi Tel-Aviv or AFC Bournemouth after he returned to full first-team training this week.
Unai Emery has been without the key member of his squad for the past 10 matches, and, although it hasn’t had a huge impact on the club’s results, the head coach will be delighted to see his options widen once again. The fixture schedule is set to get busier and busier as the UEFA Europa League matches and the Christmas period roll in, so it’s a good time for a team news boost.
Tielemans set for Villa return
Birmingham World understands Youri Tielemans was in full first-team training on Wednesday ahead of Villa’s Europa League clash with Maccabi, at Villa Park on Thursday evening. It awaits to be seen whether the midfielder is ready to jump straight back into the starting lineup, but he should at least be in contention.
The same can be said for Villa’s hosting of AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. Tielemans will be eager to get back into the swing of things, though Emery and Villa’s medical staff may look before they leap, especially with the November international break only a few days away.
It may be a better approach to ease Tielemans in with some minutes off the bench against both Maccabi and Bournemouth, giving him the international period to recuperate further. Whether or not Tielemans will feature for Belgium awaits to be seen.
Mings injury worse than feared
It’s not all sunshine and roses on the team news front, however, as Tyrone Mings is now expected to miss at least a month and a half with a hamstring injury. Unai Emery told Birmingham World after the 2-0 defeat at Liverpool - the game in which Mings limped off during - that he predicted Mings would be out for a few weeks. It’s going to be longer than that.
Mings was in clear discomfort as he pulled up after sprinting back to stop a Liverpool counter-attack, led by Mohamed Salah. The former England international had only been on the field for a few minutes - as a substitute for Pau Torres - when he felt his thigh and marched straight down the tunnel, reducing Villa to 10 men.
The Athletic reports Mings underwent a scan on Monday and was informed his recovery period would be a minimum of seven weeks. The 32-year-old, who has had a torrid time with injuries in recent seasons, is looking at a return around Christmas if all goes to plan.
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