Credit: Aston Villa Football Club and Imago

Max Wilkins

Thu 23 April 2026 18:30, UK

Aston Villa and Emi Martinez will be hoping for a repeat of their 2024 trip to face Fulham on Saturday.

The Villans are preparing to visit Craven Cottage in their next Premier League outing after a dramatic win against Sunderland last time out.

Tammy Abraham grabbed the all-important goal with a deft finish, but it was a save from the Argentina international that truly caught the eye at Villa Park.

That has certainly helped change the general feeling around the keeper, who has certainly come under fire at various points this season.

Attention has now turned to Villa’s upcoming clash with Fulham as Martinez returns to West London with the hope of repeating his previous exploits.

Emi Martinez starred vs Fulham in October 2024

The 33-year-old is certainly famed as one of the best goalkeepers in the entire division, even if his reputation has fallen away in the past year.

He has still had a largely positive season in B6, although some of his mistakes have raised heightened frustrations in the Midlands.

Things were certainly different last season as the Argentine was at his best and was on his way to yet another Yashin Trophy award for the world’s best goalkeeper.

One of his better days came away to Fulham in October 2024 as the Villans sealed a 3-1 win thanks to goals from Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and an Issa Diop own goal.

Things would have been different if not for the keeper, as he made a penalty save to deny Andreas Pereira with the scoreline at 1-1.

That ultimately sent the B6 outfit on their way to three points, but it was part of an excellent performance, something which has been regular for Martinez at Villa Park over the years.

Martinez remains key for Aston Villa

The former Arsenal man may be polarising, but he proved against Sunderland that he can still make a major difference.

That is just an echo from the win at Craven Cottage in 2024, as Martinez was excellent that day.

He made three saves and was able to put a stop to an expected goal tally of 0.44, while also completing two high claims.

The then-32-year-old also maintained an 87 per cent pass accuracy and acted as sweeper once to keep the Villans ticking.

Martinez will have to be as good as that once again this time around, as Villa look to move one step closer to Champions League qualification at Craven Cottage.