Aston Villa have a huge week ahead, which will put their Premier League and Champions League ambitions put to the test in front of the world.
The Villains take on Ipswich Town at Portman Road in the league before they host Bayern Munich at Villa Park in European action, with a tie against Manchester United awaiting back in the Premier League.
Unai Emery has got Aston Villa off to a good start in domestic action, winning four of the opening five with the one defeat coming at the hands of Arsenal.
A victory in the first Champions League trip of the season also has Villa off to a decent start, with some of their players hitting top form.
With some big fixtures ahead, it isn’t an ideal time for the Aston Villa boss to be without his club captain John McGinn.
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John McGinn misses Aston Villa vs Ipswich Town through injury
McGinn missed out on Aston Villa’s clash with Ipswich at Portman Road through an injury issue he picked up against Wolves the week before.
The Scotland international picked up a hamstring strain in that clash, which looks set to keep him out for three to four weeks.
In that time, the Villains have some huge games and will have to find out how to cope without the energy he brings to the side.
Youri Tielemans looks set to take up a deeper role in the game against the Tractor Boys, which will task him with a slight change to his usual position in midfield.
Aston Villa have struggled without McGinn in past Premier League clashes, losing four of their last five without the captain.
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Aston Villa name changed midfield in four-year record
With McGinn’s absence, Emery has named an Aston Villa side with one key change in the Premier League.
As per Aston Villa Statto, it’s the first time in four years and eight months that the Villa midfield hasn’t contained at least one of McGinn, Boubacar Kamara or Douglas Luiz.
It underlines just how crucial those three have been through the years, with the transfer fees paid for them even more astonishing.
Kamara joined on a free from Marseille in 2022 and while he has suffered some big injuries, his quality has been clear when playing.
Villa paid just £15million for Luiz before moving him onto Juventus in the summer for over £42million – netting a nice profit on top of the impressive performances.
Meanwhile, McGinn cost just £2.3million from Hibernian in 2018 and has been ever-present in the midfield ever since.
All three have outperformed their fees but their collective absences may well be felt over the coming games.
