Unai Emery’s team prepares to host Liverpool F.C. at Villa Park for the Boxing Day clash.
Premier League Online News:
The break for an unusual winter World Cup in Qatar is over, and Aston Villa F.C. will soon return to Premier League football.
With his team participating in a number of friendlies, manager Unai Emery has intensified Villa’s preparations for the resumption of domestic play. In the most recent, Villa hosted Villarreal at Villa Park on Thursday night, Emery’s old team.
Etienne Capoue scored the only goal of the game to give the Spanish team a 1-0 victory. Before returning to competitive play, Before returning to competitive play, Villa has one more behind closed doors friendly scheduled for the upcoming week.
On Boxing Day at 5:30 p.m., Villa will take on Liverpool in a match that promises to be memorable for all the right reasons. In the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, Man City will be the opponent for Jurgen Klopp‘s team on Thursday at the Etihad Stadium. The team is currently in sixth place in the Premier League.
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Injuries are a problem for the Reds before they start play. According to the Liverpool Echo, Luis Diaz may not be able to play again until March after having knee surgery this week.
Diego Jota, a fellow forward who missed the World Cup due to a calf injury, is also anticipated to be out indefinitely. Speaking about the Problem, Klopp predicted that his rehabilitation will take months as opposed to weeks.
In addition, Liverpool will be missing Juventus loanee Arthur Melo due to a thigh injury he sustained in training back in October. The midfielder was a part of the Reds’ training camp in Dubai but isn’t likely to return until January.
This afternoon, the Reds play a friendly match against AC Milan as they advance their own preparations. Curtis Jones is one player who is absent from the lineup, which raises questions about potential injuries. At the outset of the team’s training camp, the 21-year-old worked individually from the rest of the team. He has only played seven times for the team thus far due to an injury-plagued season.
