Villa’s injury woes ease ahead of crucial Juventus clash | OneFootball

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has confirmed that Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara are fit to face Juventus in Wednesday’s crucial Champions League tie.

They missed Villa’s 2-2 Premier League draw against Crystal Palace on Saturday due to injuries.

Konsa had been sidelined with a hip issue sustained during England duty, while Kamara was nursing a hamstring problem picked up against Liverpool.

The pair have since returned to training and are set to feature as Villa aim to strengthen their bid for a place in the Champions League knockout stages. Emery said in his pre-match press conference, “In the squad, we include [Ezri] Konsa and [Boubacar] Kamara for tomorrow, but not [Amadou] Onana or [Jacob] Ramsey.”

Ramsey and Onana remain unavailable, with the former recovering from a hamstring injury and the latter sidelined after sustaining a foot injury while playing for Belgium.

Villa are currently eighth in the Champions League standings despite a disappointing 1-0 loss to Club Brugge in their last European outing.

Emery acknowledged the importance of securing points against Juventus, who are strong favourites to progress to the next round. “Even if we are not winning, taking a point is good because our objective is to be in the next round,” Emery added.

“If we win tomorrow, maybe we can get into the top eight and be a contender for qualification.”

Villa have gone six matches without a victory in all competitions. Despite this, Emery is confident his side can balance their European commitments and domestic struggles.

“We had experience with the Europa Conference League last year, and we juggled a lot,” he said.

“The Champions League is the best competition in the world, and we are managing each match to stay consistent in preparation and performance.”

With key players returning to the squad, Villa have an opportunity to revitalise their campaign.

A win against Juventus would provide a significant boost to their ambitions of reaching the Champions League last-16.