Unai Emery could be without Matty Cash again for Aston Villa's FA Cup clash with Newcastle United.placeholder image
Unai Emery could be without Matty Cash again for Aston Villa's FA Cup clash with Newcastle United. | Getty Images
The latest team news ahead of Aston Villa vs Newcastle United – as the home side confirm a new injury concern.
Unai Emery has admitted Matty Cash missed Aston Villa’s narrow 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion through injury.
Cash, who has locked down the right-back spot and has become a pivotal player under Emery, was not even included in the matchday squad on Wednesday night. Lamare Bogarde, who can play as a full-back, at centre-half or in defensive midfield, filled in during Cash’s absence.
Emery confirms Villa injury blow
When the team news was announced before the Brighton game and Cash was not included, Birmingham World’s understanding was that it was down to a fitness issue. This was then corroborated by Emery during his post-match press conference.
“He was injured, with a small injury,” Emery confirmed to Birmingham World. “I don’t know if he will be available for Saturday. Each day is important for how he is progressing,” Emery added.
It’s unlikely at this stage that Cash will be fit in time to take on Newcastle, due to the quick turnaround. Birmingham World understands it’s a knee problem that sidelined the Poland international midweek and it’s not something the medical staff will want to aggravate.
Of course, as Emery says, there’s always a chance Cash can recover quickly if it’s taken day by day. There’s a possibility, therefore, that he could well play at least some minutes against Newcastle. But the more sensible approach, especially as it’s a cup game, would be to just start Bogarde again.
Another option, if Emery would prefer to deploy Bogarde as a defensive midfielder, could be to start Ezri Konsa or Victor Lindelof at right-back, with the other at centre-back. Then there’s even the possibility of playing Lindelof as an auxiliary number six if Emery wants to rest Douglas Luiz. All will become clear at the weekend.
Continue Reading