Emi Martinez latest as 12 could miss Aston Villa vs Man United
Unai Emery will give Emi Martinez every chance of being available for selection when Aston Villa take on Manchester United on Sunday.
Martinez missed Villa’s win over West Ham United last time out in the Premier League and also the Champions League victory against Basel.
Argentina international Martinez has been at the centre of Villa exit talk, but there is no doubt Emery will be desperate for him to stay.
Martinez is not the only injury and suspension concern for Villa and United combined, with a full team news update listed below.
Unai Emery shares update on Emi Martinez
To the surprise of nobody who regularly watches Villa, Martinez is second only to Arsenal’s David Raya when it comes to goals conceded per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season.
As per FBref, Martinez concedes 0.75 per 90, compared to 0.62 for Raya, although the Villa keeper has played four fewer matches.
And the World Cup winner may be absent at Villa Park again on Sunday if he is unable to recover from his recent injury layoff.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Martinez said: “Emiliano is progressing well; he is training individually and feeling better, much better. [Saturday] we will decide if he is available or not for Sunday.”
While Emery was unable to confirm whether Martinez will be fit, it does sound as though he is going to be okay to feature.
With a Premier League-high save percentage of 78.6, it is clear that Villa will massively miss Martinez if he is not available.
Defensive pair Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings are definitely out, though, and Ross Barkley is also on the sidelines.
Jadon Sancho, who has zero goals and assists in 13 appearances for Villa in all competitions, is ineligible as he is on loan from Man United.
Harvey Elliott is the other question mark as he is struggling with illness.
Man United have numerous doubts of their own
Emery rightly highlighted Villa’s poor record against Man United in the build-up to this game.
Villa have only beat United three times at Villa Park since 1995, which includes just two victories over the Red Devils in the top flight.
The Red Devils are hardly the force of old any more, though, and they are themselves weakened by various absentees.
Casemiro is definitely out due to suspension, while Noussair Mazraoui, Amad and Bryan Mbeumo are all away on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
| Bruno Fernandes record vs Aston Villa |
| 12 appearances |
| 7 goals |
| 3 assists |
| 9 wins |
| 2 draws |
| 1 defeat |
Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire are doubts, meanwhile, meaning as many as 12 players could miss out across the two sides in the worse-case scenario.
Bruno Fernandes is very much fit, though, and that is bad news for Villa. Fernandes has a great record against Villa, scoring seven goals and assisting three more in 12 appearances.
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