Villa face Gunners with depleted squad
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has delivered a significant team news update ahead of his side's crucial Premier League fixture away at Arsenal. The Villans will travel to North London with a squad significantly impacted by both injuries and suspensions.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Emery confirmed that Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash will both miss the match due to suspension. The pair each received their fifth yellow cards of the campaign during Saturday's 2-1 victory at Chelsea, triggering an automatic one-match ban.
Defensive injury concerns persist
The defensive injury crisis at Villa Park continues, with both left-sided centre-backs still unavailable. Tyrone Mings has been out since early November after suffering a hamstring injury in the defeat at Liverpool.
His defensive partner, Pau Torres, has not featured since being substituted in the reverse fixture against Arsenal and has now missed the last four matches. Swedish defender Victor Lindelof has been filling in during their absence.
"The players who are injured are continuing their process and the players who are suspended will not play," Emery stated, adding that he would assess the rest of the squad following the Chelsea match.
Additional absentees for Villa
Further compounding Emery's selection headaches, midfielder Ross Barkley remains sidelined as he recovers from a knee problem. Young forward Evann Guessand is also unavailable as he is currently representing the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Emery emphasised the need for squad depth, saying: "We will need other players. Kamara is important, yes; Cash is important, yes; Tyrone Mings is important, yes... Tomorrow is going to be important with other players."
The Spanish manager's comments highlight the challenge facing Villa as they prepare to take on a title-chasing Arsenal side at the Emirates Stadium without several key figures.
