Aston Villa have issued several injury and fitness updates ahead of their Premier League visit to Anfield to take on Liverpool this weekend.
During his pre-match press conference (via liverpoolfc.com), Unai Emery confirmed that Emiliano Buendia will not feature after sustaining a knock in the 1–0 victory over Manchester City.
“He won’t be available for tomorrow, but his recovery is going well,” Emery said. “With a few more days, we expect him to be fit and ready for the upcoming games.”
Emery also revealed that Youri Tielemans and Andres Garcia remain out, though both are making progress toward a return.
“Nothing has changed regarding those ruled out. Youri is doing well and should be able to rejoin team training next week.
As for Andres, he is improving step by step, but still needs a few weeks,” he added.
Their absence leaves Villa short of options in midfield ahead of a challenging trip to face the defending Premier League champions. Tielemans’ control in possession and Buendia’s creativity have been vital to Emery’s system, meaning squad options such as Morgan Rogers and Boubacar Kamara will need to step up at Anfield.
Villa will also be without Harvey Elliott, who is unavailable to face his parent club under the terms of his loan. The 22-year-old has settled in well off the pitch since joining from Liverpool but has struggled for consistent playing time in the Midlands.
On the Liverpool side, Arne Slot could receive a boost with Ryan Gravenberch back in full training. However, Curtis Jones and Alexander Isak are expected to remain sidelined.
Slot shared earlier today that the club is “cautiously optimistic” about Gravenberch’s return.
Villa head into the game after a narrow 1–0 win over Manchester City courtesy of an Ollie Watkins strike, while Liverpool are looking to respond following a 3–2 defeat at Brentford — setting the stage for a high-tempo contest under the Anfield lights.
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