Aston Villa’s incredible 3-2 comeback win over Salzburg in Thursday’s Europa League clash sealed a top-two finish, but was marred by an injury to striker Ollie Watkins.
The England international came off in the first half after appearing to struggle with a hamstring injury and was replaced by Morgan Rogers.
Unai Emery’s men are already without John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Ross Barkley and Youri Tielemans, as they continue to battle with injury crisis.
However, the club have added former players Tammy Abraham and Douglas Luiz to their ranks this month as they hope to continue their surprise league challenge and also mount a title chase in the Europa League.
“He felt something, but not a lot, we will test him tomorrow and hopefully we are thinking maybe not a lot [of time]. But I don’t know if he is going to be available or not for Sunday”, Emery said after match.
Aston Villa finished in second position on 21 points, with Lyon edging them on goal difference, after winning seven of their eight league-phase matches.
They fell behind by two goals in Thursday’s clash when a goal in each half by Karim Konate and Moussa Yeo put the visitors ahead.
However, they began their fightback in the 64th minute when Rogers pulled one back, before Tyrone Mings, who was at fault for Salzburg’s opener, scored a second to level things in the 76th minute.
Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba netted a winner with his first senior goal in the 87th minute as Aston Villa completed a stunning 3-2 win.
Villa have qualified automatically for the Round of 16 following their second-placed finish in the league phase.
They shift attention to the Premier League, when they welcome Brentford to Villa Park on Sunday, hoping for a win to reduce the gap to Arsenal.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
