'It'll be cruel if injuries compromise Emery's excellent season'

It says a lot about Aston Villa’s season that their qualification for next season’s Europa League has hardly registered or been celebrated by the fanbase.

Villa, however, are aiming for an above-par finish to the season, seeking both qualification for the Champions League and to lift the Europa Conference League.

Their recent draw against Chelsea extended their lead over Tottenham to seven points, with the north London team now under pressure with just two games in hand.

Everything seemed to be going well until the team received its latest injury curveball. While Unai Emery has emphasised a no-excuse culture at Villa, they now face the absence of two key players in their high-stakes run-in.

Emi Martinez is expected to be sidelined for two weeks with a minor hamstring injury, while Youri Tielemans could be out for three weeks, potentially ending his season.

In mitigation, Martinez was already set to miss the Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against Olympiakos because of suspension. However, his return is crucial for the team in coping with a white-hot and intense atmosphere in the second leg in Athens.

If Villa make it to the final in Greece, they will be hopeful that Tielemans can recover in time. In recent weeks, the Belgium international has superbly covered both the injury loss of Boubacar Kamara and suspensions to Douglas Luiz and John McGinn.

It will be a cruel final act of the season for Villa if both injuries compromise Emery putting the final touches on an excellent campaign.

David Michael can be found at My Old Man Said, external