Aston Villa boost Champions League hopes as Unai Emery issues new Ollie Watkins injury update
Aston Villa needed to get back to winning ways quickly against Ajax in the Europa Conference League after their 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Tottenham in the Premier League.
Unai Emery’s side did exactly that against the Eredivisie giants on Thursday (14 March) at Villa Park as they booked their place in the quarter-finals with a remarkable 4-0 win thanks to goals from Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Jhon Duran and Moussa Diaby.
However, it wasn’t plain sailing for Villa as they were handed a new injury blow as Watkins was forced off after 33 minutes putting his involvement against West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday (17 March) in doubt.
However, Emery and the Aston Villa fanbase may have been handed a surprise boost ahead of their meeting with the Irons as the Spaniard confirmed the English international may be fit to start against David Moyes’ Irons.
As quoted by Birmingham Live’s John Towley (14 March) he said: “It is no more than a cut. I think he could be available for Sunday but we will have to wait for then.”
Will Ollie Watkins be fit to start for Aston Villa against West Ham United after Unai Emery update?
Although Watkins only played 33 minutes on Thursday night, the 28-year-old left his mark on the clash with an excellent striker’s performance in keeping with what fans have come to expect of the Villa star this season.
The Villa forward only had four touches in the clash, only one of which came in the opposition’s box, but he still managed to complete 100 per cent of his attempted passes and scored with his only shot in the showdown, according to Fotmob.
Watkins’ header only possessed an xG of 0.04 and showed the clinical edge that the the 28-year-old has developed this term to help him score 22 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions this term.
In Villa’s last away game in the Premier League, the England international popped up with two goals at Kenilworth Road against Luton Town from four shots on target as he constantly threatened the Hatters’ goal.
Watkins once again over-performed his xG in that game, finding the net twice from an xG of 0.64 and the Villa frontman was only denied a first-half hattrick by the woodwork as he struck the post with his third shot of the game.
Few players in the Premier League have tested the keeper as often as the 28-year-old week in and week out. When compared to other forwards in the Premier League, Watkins places in the 90th percentile for shots on target per 90 minutes, with an average of 1.42 a game, according to Fbref.
The Villa striker has also managed to produce one of the highest xG rates per 90 minutes in England’s top flight, averaging a non-penalty xG of 0.52 a match, a figure better than 81 per cent of Premier League strikers.
On top of that, Watkins is a creative force himself and has registered more assists per game than 96 per cent of top-flight strikers. When he is in the team, Villa look like a more threatening force and it will be a huge boost if he’s fit.
Will Villa be able to qualify for the Champions League this season?
A win over Ajax could be huge in the context of Villa’s season, but it won’t mean too much if Villa fail to claim all three points at the London Stadium this Sunday as that could hand Spurs the advantage in the race for the top-four.
If Watkins can play and potentially even start for the Emery in East London, it will massively boost the Villans’ chances of beating the Hammers. While Villa have other impressive attacking options, none of them have the cutting edge that the England international possesses.
In other Aston Villa news, pundits have questioned whether or not McGinn will remain Villa captain following his sending-off
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