Bournemouth will be missing several players for their Premier League clash against Aston Villa
Andoni Iraola and Unai Emery
Andoni Iraola and Unai Emery(Image: AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
View Image
Aston Villa will look to return to winning ways on Saturday when Unai Emery’s side travel to Bournemouth.
When Villa kick off at the Vitality Stadium, their buffer to fourth-placed Manchester United could be just two points if Michael Carrick’s team beat Tottenham beforehand.
Villa will, however, have the opportunity to move 10 points clear of sixth-placed Liverpool, with the Reds hosting Manchester City later. A win over Bournemouth would also see Villa move up to second place.
After losing their last two home league games, Villa are in need of a result on the south coast, with around seven more wins required to give themselves a strong chance of finishing in the top five come May.
Bournemouth harbour their own hopes of competing for European football in the coming weeks and are only three points off seventh place.
Andoni Iraola is expected to be without several players through injury this weekend.
Justin Kluivert is sidelined for months due to a knee injury, while Marcus Tavernier is also expected to miss the weekend as he nurses a muscle problem.
Ben Gannon-Doak, a summer recruit from Liverpool, is not due to return to action until later in February because of a hamstring injury.
Midfielder Tyler Adams is set to miss another month of football with a knee injury of his own, further weakening Bournemouth’s squad at present.
David Brooks will likely have a late fitness test ahead of the match against Villa as he nears a return from an ankle injury suffered a few weeks ago.
Youngsters Julio Soler and Matai Akinmboni could also be unavailable this weekend.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
The latest Villa headlines sent straight to your phone
Join our Aston Villa WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click on this link and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. It's a free service. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from our Villa writers.
We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Villa news. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click 'Exit Group'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. Click here to read our Privacy Notice