Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Sat 2 May 2026 12:44, UK

Unai Emery will have to rethink his pre-match thoughts ahead of Aston Villa facing Tottenham with injuries forcing changes.

On Thursday night, Amadou Onana was withdrawn from the action as the Villans lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in the Europa League.

Since then, the Belgian has been ruled out of facing the Lilywhites this weekend, and Emery, who has not often rotated much in recent weeks, will have to now.

The Spaniard has plenty of options at his disposal, and the absence of the 24-year-old will certainly be felt.

However, any changes made will have to be made with Aston Villa’s Europa League semi-final second leg in mind.

Lamare Bogarde to get Aston Villa recall

Lamare Bogarde has not been shining for Aston Villa as Emery would have hoped, and in Bogarde’s last start versus Fulham he was terrible.

However, he is seemingly Emery’s preferred option when it comes to replacing the injured Onana, with the Dutchman starting in his place against the Cottagers.

While he is often a utility player for the Villans, Bogarde has been used in a more frequent central midfield role this season.

His safety in possession will be a key asset for Emery as he looks to deal a devastating blow to Tottenham.

Bogarde has averaged a 90 per cent pass accuracy over the course of his appearances; meanwhile, he only loses possession 7.44 times per 90, as per Sofascore.

This total is in line with Onana, who stands at 7.42. In terms of retaining the ball, Bogarde seems to be the best like for like swap.

Douglas Luiz has not been trusted by Unai Emery since injury concerns softened

Luiz was brought back to Villa Park in January amid a crisis of injuries for Aston Villa, and in the opening few weeks of his return, he played quite frequently.

The Brazilian started in the first 10 matches he was available for, but since then, he has been on the bench for the following seven fixtures and barely played in the last Premier League match.

It is not quite clear what has happened, as early signs had pointed towards the loanee slotting right back into things at Villa Park.

Even when Onana was taken off against Nottingham Forest, it was not Luiz that Emery turned to, but it was Bogarde. That could be down to Luiz losing possession 13.1 times per 90.

Signs certainly point to Bogarde being given the nod, with Emery liking his players to continue into a rhythm ahead of a crucial Europa League clash in B6.