Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has shared the latest instalment of team news ahead of Villa’s Europa Conference League clash with Olympiacos.
The scene is set for Villa Park to host Olympiacos tomorrow night, as Aston Villa prepare to battle for a place in the Europa Conference League final.
Unai Emery’s side will hope that the semi-final isn’t as dramatic as the end to their quarter-final tie against LOSC Lille, with the second leg producing a comeback from the French side and a penalty shootout.
To avoid drama in the decisive second leg, Villa will be determined to take a strong lead with them to Greece, making Thursday night’s fixture a blockbuster under the lights at Villa Park.
Today, Emery faced the media in his pre-match press conference, building the importance of the game and sharing some interesting team news ahead of the match.
Unai Emery reveals that Nicolo Zaniolo could play against Olympiacos
As expected, the boss ruled Youri Tielemans and Alex Moreno out of the first leg, with Emi Martinez also set to be absent due to suspension.
The injured duo join long-term absentees Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia, Boubacar Kamara and Jacob Ramsey as those who will sit the fixture out, giving Emery another thing to think about when it comes to selection.
If there’s one thing the boss has proved he can do at Villa, it’s flex his adaptability when dealing with injuries, with Tielemans in particular poised to be a big miss.
That being said, it’s not all doom and gloom for the Villans on the team news front, as the boss shared that Nicolo Zaniolo ‘could’ be in the squad tomorrow.
The £60k-a-week Italian was absent for Villa’s previous fixtures against Bournemouth and Chelsea due to a knock, with Emery revealing that the Galatasaray loanee is ‘feeling better’.
Nicolo Zaniolo return is a boost for Aston Villa
While the 24-year-old has had a difficult season at Villa, his performances before his injury suggested that he had finally started to settle into the squad.
It will be a boost for Emery to potentially have the versatile attacker available for the battle with Olympiacos, with depth key at this point of the season, as every game has great importance.
Zaniolo has the potential to cause the Greek side problems if he returns at the top of his game, with the possibility of him also playing for his future, as time continues to run out to fully impress those at Villa whilst on loan.
With Tielemans being injured, the Europa Conference League winner will offer Villa another attacking asset in the Belgian’s absence, with experience of lifting the trophy himself during his time at Roma.
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