Aston Villa will be without another player for their looming Midlands derby against Wolves after he picked up a fresh injury, according to a report.
Villa poised for Wolves battle as they look to seal Europe
Villa make the short trip to Molineux tonight for a West Midlands derby that should, on paper, be a straightforward three points.
Wolves are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League with just 10 points from 27 games, one win all season and virtually no hope of survival.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery before the match
Villa, meanwhile, sit third, pushing for Champions League football and backed by the form and quality that has made them one of the division's most impressive sides.
Unai Emery will tell his players that nothing should be assumed — he pointed to Wolves holding Arsenal to a 2-2 draw at Molineux recently as evidence that no ground is easy — but the expectation is firmly that Villa arrive, do their job and leave with the points.
The difficulty is that Emery goes into the derby with a significant injury list.
John McGinn remains sidelined with the knee problem that has kept him out since January, with the captain not expected back until March.
morgan-rogers-aston-villa-premier-league Related
Aston Villa make 'extraordinary' demand as Chelsea push for Morgan Rogers deal ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool
The Villans want a record-breaking fee.
Youri Tielemans has been absent since picking up an ankle injury during the win at Newcastle, and the Belgian won't return before the next international break.
Boubacar Kamara's situation is the most troubling of all — the France international has been ruled out for the rest of the season entirely following the knee injury he sustained in the FA Cup tie against Tottenham back in January.
Three midfielders, all unavailable, all significant losses.
McGinn-Aston-Villa
Now, as relayed by Birmingham Live and The Athletic, Villa have been dealt a fresh problem.
Aston Villa defender Andres Garcia picks up fresh hamstring injury
According to their information, Andres Garcia has suffered a hamstring injury and will be sidelined for a period of time as a result.
andres-garcia
The setback could not come at a worse moment for him, having barely featured all campaign and ever since his arrival in January 2025, with Matty Cash also just recently returned from his own knee problem.
Villa's options at full-back are being stretched thin, and Garcia's absence leaves Emery with limited choices should Cash pick up any further trouble in the weeks ahead.
The right-back position is not the only area Emery has had to manage carefully.
Harvey Elliott, the Liverpool loanee, also remains unavailable for the trip to Molineux.
harvey-elliott-aston-villa
The 22-year-old's season at Villa Park has been one of football's stranger stories — frozen out for months to avoid triggering the £35 million obligation-to-buy clause attached to his loan, before being reintegrated once it became clear the clause applied only to Premier League appearances.
Elliott has made seven top-flight outings all season, but his unavailability is another headache Emery could do without.
In better news for Emery, January signing Alysson could play a role this weekend after returning from his own injury.
“Alysson is coming back, I think normally he will come back in the squad for tomorrow,” Emery said in his press conference on Thursday.
“In case he’s training this afternoon; we’re going to train this afternoon.
“The other players, with the players we know are out, hopefully they will be available for tomorrow.”
Hoffenheim's Max Moerstedt celebrates scoring their fourth goal with teammates Related
[Aston Villa storm into race to sign £26m "proper target man" with West Ham now up against it](https://www.footballfancast.com/aston-villa-storm-into-race-to-sign-max-moerstedt-west-ham-transfer/ "Aston Villa storm into race to sign £26m "proper target man" with West Ham now up against it")
The Villans have emerged as potential suitors for a striker.