Nottingham Forest host Aston Villa in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday night
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery(Image: PA)
Nottingham Forest’s Europa League semi-final opponents Aston Villa are sweating on the fitness of Amadou Onana ahead of this week’s clash.
The two Premier League sides go head-to-head in the first leg of the last-four tie at the City Ground on Thursday night (8pm kick-off). The return fixture will then take place at Villa Park a week later, with a place in next month’s final in Istanbul up for grabs.
Onana missed Villa’s 1-0 defeat at Fulham last Saturday due to a minor knee injury. Boss Unai Emery said he had felt “a small pain” before his side’s trip to London.
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The 24-year-old now faces a late fitness check before the meeting on the banks of the Trent. Prior to the weekend, Onana had started nine consecutive Premier League matches, as well as nine of the club’s last 10 Europa League fixtures.
In his pre-match press conference, Emery was asked about Onana’s fitness. He said: “We train this afternoon (Wednesday). We will see how he is responding – if he is feeling good to play tomorrow.
“Some players have small pain, like Onana. He was being tested yesterday and today we must test him again.
“We play tomorrow 100 per cent every player. In case not, we must respond with the players who are ready.”
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Villa will be without Ross Barkley and Alysson against the Reds, as neither player was included in the club’s European squad for the knockout stages. Boubacar Kamara remains a long-term absentee after suffering a knee injury in January.
Forest have some injury issues of their own ahead of the tie. Centre-back Murillo has been ruled out of this week’s match with a suspected hamstring problem.
Fellow Brazilian defender Jair Cunha trained with his teammates this morning after being forced off in the second half of last Friday’s 5-0 thumping of Sunderland with a an injury. Midfielder Ibrahim Sangare and winger Dan Ndoye were not involved in the session and were said to be doing individual work indoors.
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