Football
Aston Villa Injury News: Ollie Watkins ‘A Doubt’ For Nottingham Forest Clash
Kieran Lynch is a sports writer specialising in football and Formula One. He is a sports journalism graduate of Leeds Trinity University and completed a Press Association NCTJ course in Newcastle. He previously worked as a news reporter for the Eastern Daily Press in Norfolk and spent five years as a sports writer at the MailOnline.
Get to know Kieran Lynch betterPublished11 Dec 2024
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is a doubt for their Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest after suffering an injury against RB Leipzig.
Unai Emery’s side will look to make it four wins out of four against a tricky Forest side, with the two sides level on points.
Villa go into the match off the back of a positive 3-2 win in against RB Leipzig to push them up to third in the Champions League table.
However, there was one concern during the match as Watkins was replaced at half-time.
Ollie Watkins An Injury Doubt For Nottingham Forest Clash
Ollie Watkins could miss Aston Villa’s Saturday evening clash with Nottingham Forest.
Emery said after Villa’s victory over RB Leipzig that Watkins was taken off because of a ‘small injury’.
It is believed that Watkins was suffering with a thigh injury which forced him off at half-time.
The 28-year-old is set to be assessed today. There is a possibility that he could miss an important clash against Forest in the race for the top-four.
Watkins struggled with fitness at the beginning of the campaign after his involvement with England at Euro 2024.
He missed the majority of his club’s pre-season and has often been substituted by Emery. He was rested ahead of the Champions League tie with RB Leipzig, coming off the bench against Southampton.
Despite this, he has still scored seven Premier League goals this term.
Jhon Duran will be expected to start at the weekend given the injury to Watkins. Duran’s goal against RB Leipzig was his tenth in all competitions – more than what Watkins has achieved despite only making four starts.
Leon Bailey Provides Boost
Though Ollie Watkins is a concern for Aston Villa because of his fresh injury, there is optimism over Leon Bailey.
Bailey suffered a hamstring injury in Villa’s last Premier League match against Southampton last Saturday. After chasing a from John McGinn on a counter-attack, he knocked the ball out of play before sitting on the floor to get assistance from the medical staff.
He missed the game with RB Leipzig, though Emery said he could return for the trip to Nottingham Forest.