Aston Villa faced a double injury blow as goalkeeper Emi Martinez and defender Pau Torres were both ruled out of the squad for their Europa League match against FC Basel in Switzerland. Both players are sidelined with injuries and were unavailable for selection.
Martinez, who missed Villa’s 4-3 win over Brighton last Wednesday due to a back issue sustained during warm-up, returned for the match against Arsenal but was rested for the Basel game. Manager Unai Emery explained that Martinez’s continued back problem prevented him from playing in Switzerland.
Pau Torres was forced off late during Villa’s thrilling victory against Arsenal, adding to the club’s defensive concerns. Emery highlighted the versatility of Lamare Bogarde, who along with centre-backs Konsa and Lindelof, will cover Torres’ absence at left centre-back.
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“Both players are injured,” Emery confirmed. “Konsa and Lindelof will step in at centre-back, and Lamare Bogarde’s flexibility is a big asset for us. We need players to be comfortable in these situations when injuries occur.”
Regarding Martinez, Emery added: “He has a back problem and isn’t feeling 100%. We will monitor him closely over the coming days and hope he will improve in time for Sunday’s match. It’s not a serious issue, but we had to rest him after he felt discomfort last week in Brighton.”
Villa secured their fifth win in six Europa League group stage matches by defeating Basel, following earlier victories against Bologna, Feyenoord, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and BSC Young Boys. Despite Basel’s strong recent record against English clubs in Europe, Villa took control early in the match with Evann Guessand giving them the lead. Youri Tielemans later extended Villa’s advantage in the second half after an equalizer from Flavius Daniliuc.