Champions League boost for Villa as three stars return to action | OneFootball

Villa’s Champions League Hopes Boosted by Triple Injury Return

Senior Players Back for Key European Night

Aston Villa’s ambitions in the Champions League receive a timely boost as Unai Emery welcomes back three key players ahead of their crucial round of 16 first-leg clash against Club Brugge. Pau Torres, Matty Cash, and Boubacar Kamara are all in contention to feature, strengthening Villa’s squad as they seek to overturn their previous defeat against the Belgian side.

Pau Torres Set for Comeback

Torres’ return is particularly significant. The Spanish defender has been sidelined since December with a broken metatarsal, missing 14 matches across all competitions. Now fully recovered, the 28-year-old has travelled with the squad to Belgium and could play a role on Tuesday evening.

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Emery confirmed the boost in his pre-match press conference: “Coming back after injury – Pau Torres is in the squad, Tyrone Mings after he wasn’t on Friday, Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara. He was on Friday, but on the bench, for tomorrow he could start playing minutes as well.”

Mings and Cash Return to Strengthen Defence

Tyrone Mings is also available again after missing the FA Cup victory over Cardiff City, providing Villa with another defensive option. Meanwhile, Matty Cash is fit following a two-game absence, reinforcing the right flank at a critical stage of the season. With Kamara also now able to feature from the start, Villa’s spine looks significantly stronger ahead of this European test.

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Squad Depth Tested as Key Names Miss Out

Despite the boost, Villa will be without four senior players for this fixture. January signing Andres Garcia is ineligible, as he was not registered in the squad for the knockout phase. Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley remain unavailable due to injury, while Donyell Malen and youngster Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba are also omitted from the squad list.

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“Onana and Barkley are not available,” Emery confirmed. “Andres Garcia and Donyell Malen because they are not on the list, Jamaldeen [Jimoh-Aloba] as well isn’t on the list. Other players are in the squad.”

However, Villa will still be able to call upon experienced figures such as Marcus Rashford, Axel Disasi, and three-time Champions League winner Marco Asensio as they look to take a positive result back to Villa Park.

With a strengthened squad and key names returning, Villa’s hopes of Champions League progression have been handed a significant lift ahead of a pivotal European night.