Ollie Watkins has been assessed ahead of Bournemouth vs Aston Villa - will he play?placeholder image
Ollie Watkins has been assessed ahead of Bournemouth vs Aston Villa - will he play? | Getty Images
The latest team news ahead of Aston Villa’s trip to AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Aston Villa are set to have two important first-team players back available against AFC Bournemouth this Saturday, while a new signing could be in with a shot of making his debut.
Unai Emery confirmed after the Brentford clash that Onana had been suffering from some “muscle stiffness” and couldn’t be involved. Why on earth he was on the bench is another question entirely, but the main thing is the situation now appears to have changed for the midfielder.
Watkins and Onana assessed before Bournemouth clash
Both Watkins and Onana are set to travel down to Bournemouth this weekend, as the pair have both been in full training with the first team. That’s the case according to The Athletic, anyway, with a recent report stating Watkins and Onana featured in Emery’s session on Thursday and are ready for Saturday’s game.
Whether or not Watkins and Onana start against the Cherries is another question. New signing Tammy Abraham started up top in the Brentford defeat and played well, controversially seeing a goal disallowed for the ball going out of play some 20 seconds earlier. Meanwhile, Onana could face a battle getting into midfield ahead of Douglas Luiz and Lamare Bogarde.
Watkins, much like Emiliano Martinez between the sticks, is very much the first-choice striker and will start when he’s available to do so. But Emery might not want to risk Watkins so quickly, especially as hamstring problems - even as minor as this one - can be very unpredictable and difficult to manage.
In Onana’s case, it was more fatigue rather than an injury and whether he starts largely depends on Emery’s tactical preferences. Surely Luiz has to start again after his superb second debut, so would Emery rather have Bogarde or Onana in the pivot? That’s a question for the manager and the manager only.
New signing nearly ready
Although it’s uncertain if he will feature this weekend, Villa’s winter signing Alysson is shifting closer to making his debut for the club. The Brazilian winger, signed from Gremio at the start of January for around £10 million, has been working his way back to fitness in the past few weeks.
The Athletic claims, in the same report as earlier, that Alysson was also part of the full first-team training session on Thursday and could be in line for his debut. The 19-year-old, a former Brazil Under-16 international, should be able to add some pace and skill on either flank if necessary.
If Alysson doesn’t play against Bournemouth, there are plenty of other opportunities for him to make his bow. Villa play host to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday for instance, while the FA Cup fourth round clash with Newcastle United is now only a week away.
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