Unai Emery has suffered a huge blow as centre-back Pau Torres has been ruled out of their FA Cup clash against Middlesbrough this evening.
Aston Villa have been plagued by the third round curse for almost eight years now having failed to get past this stage of the competition since losing 4-0 to Manchester City in the fourth round in 2016.
No side has ever lost nine in a row in the competition while playing in the top two divisions and that’s a record Unai Emery won’t want to have on his resume.
Instead, he’ll be looking to recreate the 2015 heroics that saw them go on a run to the final before being thrashed by Arsenal at Wembley Stadium.
Villa reached a new low in this competition when they were beaten by League Two Stevenage in the third round last term.
With Emery looking to avoid further humiliation, he will likely field a strong team but could rest Moussa Diaby and Ollie Watkins for Jhon Duran and Nicolo Zaniolo in attack.
Ideally, he would have also liked to have had Pau Torres at his disposal for this fixture, but it has now been confirmed that he’s ruled out of the contest.
Pau Torres ruled out of Boro clash for Villa
After a brief spell on the sidelines which saw Clement Lenglet deputise in his place, Torres returned for the clash against Burnley and replaced the Frenchman from the bench.
He has now been deemed as not 100 per cent fit to play against Boro this evening.
In his pre-match press conference, Emery listed off four first-team players who aren’t available.
He said: “Pau is not available, Digne is not available, Traore is not available, Tielemans is not available. The other players are ready.”
Although the Villa boss has said he could return for the clash against Everton, it’s still a big blow.
Torres deals Emery a huge blow
Torres has been magnificent at the heart of Villa’s defence.
When Tyrone Mings suffered a season-ending injury on the opening day, the 26-year-old quickly established himself as a key player in Emery’s side.
As a result, when he was missing from two of their most recent clashes – the draw against Sheffield United and the defeat against Manchester United – his absence was felt.
His importance to the side is also further emphasized by the fact he’s valued the second highest of any Villa player, as per CIES Football Observatory, behind only Moussa Diaby.
He’s seen his value double since arriving at Villa Park and is undoubtedly a huge miss this evening.
