Unai Emery has confirmed that John McGinn was left out of Aston Villa’s squad to face Tottenham Hotspur as a precaution. Villa have a Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest on Thursday night, where McGinn is expected to return to the team.
Precautionary decision explained
“When we are playing matches in a few days like we are playing Thursday, sometimes players aren’t feeling 100 per cent, getting tired muscular, thinking not completely fit,” Emery said on TNT Sports pre-match. “John McGinn, he was confident yesterday but not feeling 100%, so we decided not to take a risk and he’s not going to be involved today.”
Importance of the Tottenham match
This evening’s match against Spurs is a key one for Villa’s hopes of finishing in the top five and securing qualification for the UEFA Champions League. After AFC Bournemouth beat Crystal Palace earlier, Villa cannot mathematically qualify today. However, a win would put them on the brink.
Villa need four more points to secure a top-five finish. They could confirm qualification before facing Burnley if they win today and Bournemouth fail to win at Fulham next weekend.
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This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more. Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL. Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
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