Aston Villa injury news: Unai Emery confirms triple boost for Champions League clash with Club Brugge
Aston Villa have been given a handy boost ahead of their Champions League tie tonight.
Villa have travelled to Belgium today (March 4) for the first leg of their last 16 clash with Club Brugge. The Premier League side secured automatic qualification during the group stage, with manager Unai Emery’s talent for European football shining through.
Should Aston Villa beat Club Brugge over the two legs, they will face either Liverpool or Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals, due to begin on April 7.
Ahead of tonight’s game, Emery has revealed that three of his previously-injured players have made the journey to Belgium, handing his side a major boost - particularly with their defence.
The trio of Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings and Matty Cash have all travelled to Brugge. Mings and Cash missed Villa’s FA Cup clash with Cardiff City last week, while Pau Torres has been absent for the past two months - the Spaniard broke his metatarsal and had been sidelined since Villa’s 2-2 draw against Brighton in December.
Midfielders Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana are still out injured, and Villa will have to contend without Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia - the pair were not included in Villa’s squad for the Champions League knockout rounds.
It is the second time the two clubs have met in the Champions League this season, with Villa losing 1-0 to Brugge in the group stage back in November. However, Brugge’s record against English teams is far from stellar, having conceded 17 goals in their past five matches against Premier League opposition.