Emery hails ‘fantastic’ Kamara ahead of Aston Villa vs Fulham | OneFootball

Aston Villa are preparing to face Fulham in the Premier League this weekend.

The Villans are winless in five league outings this season but will take encouragement from their mid-week Europa League win over Bologna.

Villa manager Unai Emery knows a win in this match could put their turbulent season back on track.

He will need his players to produce their best form, as Boubacar Kamara did versus Bologna.

Kamara put behind his fitness issues to deliver a stellar performance as Villa beat Bologna 1-0, earning praise from Emery.

He said (via Villa’s official website): “Really fantastic yesterday. We were waiting for his best performance this season.

“He was coming injured in Brentford in the second league match, and yesterday he played a fantastic match.

“This is the Boubacar Kamara we need, and we will need on Sunday.”

Kamara won 12/17 of his duels, played one key pass, and completed all of his dribbles.

The French holding midfielder will be key against Fulham’s aggressive press.

With the Villans struggling to score, defending could be key to grinding out some points in the coming weeks and moving out of the relegation zone.

Kamara will be crucial to that defensive solidity as the Villains plot their comeback.

Unfortunately, the Birmingham-based club will not have Ross Barkley, Youri Tielemans or Amadou Onana available to support Kamara.

The trio remain sidelined, leaving the squad thin in the middle of the park.

However, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has shrugged off the muscle pain that forced him to miss the Bologna game and could be in contention.

Marco Bizot delivered an excellent performance in Martinez’s absence and may retain his place.