Credit: Manh Tung - Breaking Media

Cameron Smith

Sat 28 March 2026 12:10, UK

Aston Villa fans will be keeping a keen eye on Belgium’s clash with USA as Youri Tielemans continues to regain fitness.

The Red Devils are preparing for successive clashes against two of the summer’s World Cup hosts, with away trips to Atlanta and Mexico City.

Midfielder Tielemans recently made his return from injury, after missing the majority of 2026 thus far.

Following his move from Leicester City in 2023, the 28-year-old had a slow start to life at Villa Park, but has since become a crucial cog in Unai Emery’s midfield.

With the Villans looking to secure a Champions League spot, the Belgian is set to prove vital in the final months of the term, and fans will be keen to see just how he copes getting back to full fitness.

Aston Villa’s results without Youri Tielemans are telling

A classy operator for both club and country, Tielemans has become a crucial cog for Villa, while his importance at international level has been exemplified after being appointed captain by Rudi Garcia.

In the middle of the park under Emery, he operates as the central controller of tempo, with an innate feel as to when the game needs to be slowed down, and when it requires speeding up.

With 72.98 touches per 90 minutes, a near 86 per cent pass completion, 2.3 accurate long balls and 1.63 key passes, Tielemans is simply everywhere for Villa.

Meanwhile, his 2.09 tackles and 8.13 duels per 90 make him incredibly vital out of possession too.

As demonstrated by the graphic provided by Sofascore below, he is now one of Villa’s main men.

It is no coincidence that the B6 outfit’s best performance in a while came last time out against West Ham, with both Tielemans and John McGinn in the side.

The pair make a crucial difference, with the non-stop running and progressive abilities of McGinn combined with the feel for the game, and controlling qualities of Tielemans.

Aston Villa can begin to build form again with star players back

Throughout February and early March, Emery’s side continued to slump, with losses against Wolves and Chelsea noted as a potential turning point of the campaign, with Villa in danger of slipping out of a Champions League spot.

In both of these mentioned matches, the Villans were slow and ponderous, with no real drive coming from midfield or out wide – two zones so expertly occupied by Tielemans and McGinn.

Now, Villa have their engine room controller back – barring any issues during the international break.

With a big win secured against West Ham prior to the pause, Emery’s side are well-placed to go on and rebuild their form heading into the run-in.

Alongside their domestic hopes, Villa are one of the favourites to go on and lift the Europa League in May, and Emery will be delighted that he has his stars available heading into such a crucial period.

Belgium take on the USA in Atlanta on Saturday, before facing Mexico on Tuesday. Villa fans will be watching on to see Tielemans get back up to speed, ahead of the season’s crunch point.