Unai Emery must trust Robin Olsen v Olympiacos despite Aston Villa injury update
Robin Olsen has stepped up since Emiliano Martinez’s injury, and Unai Emery must keep his faith in the shot-stopper ahead of Olympiacos v Aston Villa on Thursday (9 May).
The 34-year-old has made just 17 appearances since arriving at Villa Park in the summer of 2022, but has recently been called upon to replace the injured and suspended Martinez in between the sticks.
Having replaced the Argentine at half-time against Chelsea, Olsen has now started back-to-back matches against Olympiacos and Brighton, impressing much more in the latter of those two games.
While it appears that Martinez, Emery’s first-choice keeper, could be back in contention to start the second leg of the Europa Conference League clash against Olympiacos, he must keep his faith in Olsen.
Speaking ahead of the European tie, quoted by Birmingham Mail [8 May], Emery said: “I will speak with him and the doctor to see if he is 100% fit to play, but I believe in Olsen.
“I’m building the team not just with the players in the starting XI. If we did that we would be dead now because we’ve had a lot of players injured. Tomorrow, if he is available 100%, he will play. If not, he won’t play.”
Will Robin Olsen keep his starting XI spot for Aston Villa v Olympiacos?
Despite the 1-0 defeat to Brighton on Sunday 5 May, Olsen has earned the right to keep his spot in between the sticks as the Villans attempt to overcome a two-goal deficit on Thursday night.
Not only did Olsen save what could have been a crucial penalty against Joao Pedro, stopping a shot with a 0.79xG, as per FotMob, but he made seven saves throughout the match and was exemplary with his feet.
Olsen maintained a 98 per cent pass accuracy, as per FotMob, far exceeding Martinez’s Premier League average of 82.8 per cent this season [FBref].
He also completed 67 per cent of his long balls [FotMob], which could be vital in stretching the Olympiacos team across the pitch at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki.
Of course, Martinez is currently one of the best goalkeepers in football, and his underlying statistics back that up, ranking in the top 99 and 97 percentiles for crosses stopped and defensive actions outside the penalty area respectively [FBref].
He also ranks in the top 89 percentile for post-shot expected goals, leaving Olsen with huge boots to fill.
However, based on his previous performance, he will be heading into the match on the highest form, and taking him out of the starting XI could disrupt the backline.
In other Aston Villa news, Emi Buendia has dropped a brilliant injury update on social media.
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