An injury-hit Aston Villa crashed out of the Europa Conference League on Thursday night after losing 6-2 on aggregate against Olympiacos.
The Villans were given a mountain to climb after losing 4-2 in the first leg and sadly, it only took 10 minutes to see their hopes of overcoming a two-goal deficit get derailed as Ayoub El Kaabi extended the hosts’ lead in the tie.
Unai Emery’s men controlled large parts of the game but a distinct lack of quality in the final third saw them struggle to make their dominance count.
Emery was without several first-team players for that semi-final encounter, including long-term absentees, Emi Buendia, Boubacar Kamara, Jacob Ramsey and Tyrone Mings while Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Alex Moreno and Nicolo Zaniolo were also sidelined.
The Spaniard did issue a positive update on Zaniolo, Moreno and Tielemans after the game, claiming they’re close to a return, which could point towards the trio being named in the squad against Liverpool.
Youri Tielemans could give Aston Villa ‘the edge’ vs Liverpool
Tielemans limped off with a groin injury in the 2-2 draw against Chelsea at the end of last month.
The 26-year-old appears to have made a speedy recovery from that setback and could be in line to feature against Liverpool on Monday as Villa seek to secure Champions League qualification.
Villa have missed the Belgian’s creative talents in midfield, with the maestro averaging 7.28 progressive passes per game, as per FBref, and 5.78 passes into the final third.
With Emery forced into naming several academy stars on the bench against Olympiacos, journalist Dan Rollinson believes Tieleman’s anticipated return against Jurgen Klopp’s men could give Villa ‘the edge’ in the contest.
Speaking on the Claret & Blue podcast, he said: “Maybe we won’t see any of the injured players again, like a Rogers or a Tielemans, but that’s me guessing. Maybe Tielemans is fit for Monday and that’s just the little edge we need to get a result. And if that is the case, that is a massive bonus.”
Aston Villa have missed Youri Tielemans creativity
Villa have struggled to unlock defences in the absence of the former Leicester City star.
As per Understat, Emery’s side racked up an xG of 0.61 in the 2-2 draw against Chelsea and 0.06 in the draw to Brighton, equalling a wanted record under the Spanish boss for registering just a single shot in the first period.
That is partly down to fatigue setting into the Villa squad, but also Tielemans being sidelined with an injury.
Next to Douglas Luiz in midfield, the Belgian can offer Emery a creative spark against Liverpool, one that has been duly missed in recent weeks.
The visitors will likely look to spring on the counter, which places an emphasis on Villa carving open Klopp’s backline.
With Tielemans in the engine room, they’ll have someone capable of picking out the passes no one else can see, as long as he’s deemed fit enough to start.
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