Aston Villa are in for an enthralling end to a season which could be their most successful in more than four decades. Failing to beat Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Tottenham and now Burnley has, however, added more pressure on their final match before heading to Istanbul for the Europa League final.
Unai Emery’s side host fourth-placed Liverpool on Friday night, where they need a result to boost their chances of a top-five finish before playing Freiburg in Turkey.
Villa have a job to do on Friday
Of course, a win over the Bundesliga side at the Tupras Stadium would secure Villa’s place in the Champions League if they don’t manage to seal their ticket against Liverpool. Yet, failing to beat Liverpool opens the door for Bournemouth against Manchester City the night before Villa’s Europa League final.
Should the worst happen across those two results, Villa will have added pressure heading into the final, needing to beat Freiburg to then avoid needing to avoid defeat at the Etihad on the final day of the league season. Even if Bournemouth fail to beat City, Brighton could still catch Villa if they lose to both Liverpool and Man City. The Seagulls’ remaining league matches are against Leeds United and then Manchester United at home on the final Sunday of the season.
Although it is unlikely Villa will fall out of the Champions League positions and lose to Freiburg as well, they still need to take care of business on Friday night. Victory against Liverpool to seal Champions League qualification would be the perfect send-off for Villa’s players ahead of Istanbul. A draw would also be a decent result, so long as Bournemouth then fail to beat Man City at the Vitality Stadium next Tuesday.
The frustrating element of Villa’s recent league form is that Emery cannot rest his key players, unless he takes the risk of compromising both Champions League qualification and silverware.
Left-back problems
Last season, there would have been few teams with a stronger left-back department than Villa. Lucas Digne was playing consistently well, and Ian Maatsen provided strong cover after joining for £37.5 million from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2024. Right now, however, it feels like neither player is grasping the opportunity, to the point where Digne is starting due to Maatsen’s particularly poor form of late.
The Dutchman struggled against Tottenham, as did the rest of the team that day, but he was particularly poor against Burnley last time out. Burnley winger Loum Tchaouna enjoyed his battle against Maatsen and was named man of the match for his impressive display. Maatsen is not in the Villa team primarily for his defensive ability, but for what he offers going forward; however, he appears to be lacking the confidence to make a real impact in games.
With Digne turning 33 in July and Maatsen flattering to deceive, this has suddenly become a problem position for Villa. In fact, both full-back areas need attention, because an injury to Matty Cash for any period of time would put Emery in trouble, while Andres Garcia has not been trusted this season and Lamare Bogarde’s best role is in midfield.
Onana fitness concern
A major concern for the immediate future for Emery will be the fitness of Amadou Onana. The midfielder suffered a calf injury in the first half of Villa’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Nottingham Forest 11 days ago. After attempting to continue in the second half, he was substituted shortly after the break, making way for Bogarde. Emery has since revealed that Onana is expected to be ruled out for up to three weeks, meaning it could be touch and go whether he recovers in time for the final in Istanbul.
Asked if Onana will play again this season, Emery said: “Hopefully but I don’t know. He is still being injured. Firstly, the doctor told us it is more or less two or three weeks. It is maybe the final of the Europa League or the final against Liverpool on Friday. We are going to be working with Lindelof in this position, we are working hard with Bogarde in this position. We do not have Kamara, who of course is very important for us. But I am positive with the players we have. In case someone is not available, we will find solutions, like we did always.”
Victor Lindelöf will once again likely be the replacement for Onana in the double pivot alongside Youri Tielemans should Onana not be fit enough to play against Freiburg. Ross Barkley was not named in Villa’s European squad, and Douglas Luiz is clearly not preferred by Emery.
Freiburg have a young talent, Johan Manzambi, in their midfield ranks, and he will be identified by Emery as a player to stop in the final. The 20-year-old has scored seven goals and provided eight assists across all competitions this season, and scored a brilliant goal against Braga in Freiburg’s successful semi-final second leg.
