Injury Concerns for Emiliano Martínez as Aston Villa Battles for Champions League Spot

Emilliano Martínez set off the alarm last Saturday due to an injury that prevented him from completing the match against Chelsea on matchday 35 of the Premier League. Halfway through the first half, the Aston Villa goalkeeper asked for medical assistance to massage the thigh area of ​​his right leg.

Although he continued playing, Dibu did not come out to play the second 45 minutes, leaving his place for Robin Olsen. Although when he came out they were triumphing 2-0 thanks to goals from Marc Cucurella, against, and Morgan Rogers, his team received two blows and suffered a draw at the end due to goals from Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher.

Aston Villa’s goal continues to be to qualify for the next Champions League and for the moment they are achieving it. Although he should not be trusted, since he moved seven away from Tottenham, who are seeking to displace him from the privileged place, but they have two games pending, so they are more than alert. And the presence of Dibu Martínez becomes a fundamental factor.

As reported unofficially in the last few hours, the goalkeeper of the Argentine national team would not have a tear but a strain and will be out of the field for at least two weeks. His entourage affirms that the objective is for him to be present on May 9, for the rematch of the Conference League semifinals against Olympiakos in Greece.

It is worth remembering that Dibu Martínez was suspended for his gestures in the penalties against Lille that earned him qualification, which is why in the first leg that they will play at home in Villa Park on Thursday, May 2, he will watch it from the stands. Of course, he will be useful to continue with the adjustment of the injury.

In the middle, he will not be able to make a save in the Premier League on May 5 during the visit to Brighton And Hove on the 36th, but they estimate that he will be able to place himself between the three sticks on the penultimate matchday at home against Liverpool, on Monday the 13th. of May.

Dibu Martínez comes from being the hero in Aston Villa against Lille in the Conference League (Reuters)

In his absence, Robin Olsen will once again save the team, who had only played two games in the current Premier League until this Saturday, both as a starter (he had replaced the Argentine on two occasions during the previous season). The 34-year-old Swede defended the three sticks in the 3-1 victory over Burnley and in the 4-1 loss against Manchester City.

With Arsenal (80 points in 35 games), Manchester City (79 points in 34 games) and Liverpool (75 points in 35 games) leading the bid for the title, Aston Villa was in fourth place with its 67 points (35 matches), followed by Tottenham (60 points in 33 games).

In this way, the Villains’ battle is hand in hand with the Spurs for the fourth Champions League ticket available in England. It has been 42 years since the Birmingham team has competed in Europe’s top continental event and in the final stretch of the competition they will have to get good results against Brighton And Hove (Sunday, May 5 from 10), Liverpool (Monday, May 13 from 16) and Crystal Palace to be able to dream of that feat.

However, it will depend on the results of Tottenham, who have played two fewer games. Spurs have a demanding grid with their clashes between Chelsea, Liverpool, Burnley and Manchester City.

Likewise, Unai Emery’s men have to go for the other great objective of the season: winning the Conference League. Next Thursday, May 2, they will play the first leg semifinal against Olympiakos in England, as was said without Martínez because he is suspended, and a week later they will face the return leg in Greece. The winner of that clash will play in the grand final of the third international competition of the Old Continent against the winner of the bracket that will face Fiorentina of Italy and Bruges of Belgium.

The match for the crown is scheduled for Wednesday, May 29 at the Agia Sofia Stadium in Athens (Greece). This event gives the champion a direct pass to the Europa League, something that Aston Villa is assured since they cannot be caught by Manchester United or Newcastle in the table.

There is one fact to take into account in Dibu Martínez’s personal bid: he will no longer be able to match the 11 matches without conceding goals that he had last season at Aston Villa, since he currently registers 8 appearances without scoring out of the 32 he played (he missed two from the Premier League at the moment), but he will not be able to play the next date. Dibu is ranked behind the Spanish David Raya of Arsenal (14), the Englishman Jordan Pickford of Everton (12), the German Bernd Leno of Fulham (9) and the Brazilian Ederson of Manchester City (9).

The alarms surrounding Martínez’s physique worry both his team in this double battle that they will have in the coming weeks and the Argentine team, beyond the fact that there are still two months left until the United States’ Copa América debut against Canada on Thursday, June 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

2024-04-29 02:15:00
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