Unai Emery does not get the luxury of a settled squad for Aston Villa vs Fenerbahçe. Amadou Onana is out after being forced off in the 21st minute of Belgium's 4-1 victory over the USA with a knee injury, while Ian Maatsen suffered an ankle injury against Nottingham Forest and is not expected back until 21 November. Aston Villa have no players suspended for this match.
The absences Emery is managing
The injury list is already three names long, with Modou Kéba Cissé also unavailable. Leon Goretzka is still waiting to make his debut, and his possible return is being targeted for 24 October, which at least gives Emery a date to circle in the diary.
Maatsen's layoff is expected to be a long one, and Sports Mole said of the suspension situation: "Aston Villa have no players suspended for this match." That leaves Villa with one clean note in an otherwise awkward build-up, especially with left-back cover stretched.
What Villa still have to lean on
Villa are not walking into this blind. They beat Club Brugge 3-2 in their opening Champions League game, scoring all three of their goals in the first half, then followed it with a 2-2 draw against Brentford at Villa Park. Fenerbahçe drew 1-1 with Roma in their opening Champions League fixture, so both sides arrive with something to protect and something to prove.
Villa's last five results include 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats. That is decent enough to suggest Emery still has a team that can compete, even if the selection choices before Fenerbahçe are narrower than he would like.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
