ASTON VILLA NEWS

Dennis, Etebo and Troost-Ekong make Premier League debut for Watford vs Aston Villa ' Goal.com Emmanuel Dennis, Oghenekaro Etebo and William Troost-Ekong have been handed their Premier League debut in Watford’s home game against Aston Villa.

AUGUST 14, 2021 • GOAL.COM

John McGinn - Scores rare goal McGinn scored one goal with three shots (one on goal) during a 3-2 loss Saturday against Watford.

Impact Despite not being known for recording goals, McGinn showed that he could occasionally score to supply some serviceable value if insufficient defensively. He logged at least one across three games (two losses) during the 2020-21 Premier League season.

AUGUST 14, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Emilano Martinez - Concedes three goals Martinez recorded four saves but conceded three goals during a 3-2 loss Saturday against Watford.

Impact Though Martinez was the 2021 Copa America's best goalkeeper, he will remain a risky fantasy option for Aston Villa this year. He showed such risk by conceding thrice to newly-promoted Watford.

AUGUST 14, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Ollie Watkins - Out Saturday Watkins (knee) is not in the squad for Saturday's match against Watford.

Impact After dealing with some knee bruising this week, Watkins isn't forced into the side for the opener. The good news for Villa is that they recently added Danny Ings and he's getting the start up front in a favorable opening match Saturday.

AUGUST 14, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

MATCHDAY: 3 title hopefuls play in EPL, PSG waits on Messi

Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are three of the Premier League’s big title contenders and they get their campaigns up and running on Saturday

AUGUST 13, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Morgan Sanson - Still not ready to play Sanson (knee) didn't appear in the preseason and won't be an option for Saturday's opener against Watford, according to Sky Sports.

Impact Sanson wasn't mentioned by Dean Smith in his press conference, but that's likely because it's a long-term injury. He only recently returned to light training, as he's been out since May with a knee injury. For now, it's assumed he'll be out the first few matches until Villa have a new update on him.

AUGUST 13, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Ollie Watkins - Late test against Watford Watkins is considered a late test for Saturday's opener against Watford because of bruising on his knee, according to manager Dean Smith. "If he's pain free today he'll train, if h...

Impact There's a slight chance Watkins will start Saturday, but it's hard to see that being the case. He suffered the injury last weekend and hasn't trained since and while he could be back Friday, that gives him one day of training without bruising in his knee, making it a quick turnaround for the opener.

AUGUST 13, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Emiliano Buendia - Ready for opener Buendia had a minor hip injury, but he's trained all week and is available for Saturday's opener against Watford, according to manager Dean Smith.

Impact Buendia is good to go and will be an option to start Saturday. It's expected he'll play in a more central role and possibly be on a split of set pieces with Anwar El Ghazi. Buendia had taken the majority of sets at Watford where he racked up 128 corners last season.

AUGUST 13, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Leon Bailey - Unlikely to start Saturday Bailey joined the team Thursday and while he's available for Saturday's opener against Watford, he's unlikely to start, according to manager Dean Smith.

Impact Bailey has yet to play with the team, so there's no reason to expect him to start right away when Villa have other options to turn to. The good news is that he's healthy and should immediately contribute minutes in Saturday's opener.

AUGUST 13, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

PREMIER LEAGUE 21-22: Questions facing the outsiders

Away from the Premier League’s title favorites stands a collection of outsiders looking to push into European contention or solidify themselves as established members in the world’...

AUGUST 12, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lukaku seals return to Chelsea for club-record $135 million

Romelu Lukaku has sealed a return to Chelsea by moving from Inter Milan for a reported $135 million

AUGUST 12, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Premier League's return: What you need to know about the 2021-22 season

The new Premier League season is nearly here. We'll get you up to speed on everything you need to know about its return.

AUGUST 12, 2021

Watford provide injury update on Masina ahead of Aston Villa clash ' Goal.com Morocco international Adam Masina could be in action when Watford take on Dean Smith’s Aston Villa on Saturday evening

AUGUST 12, 2021 • GOAL.COM

Watford vs Aston Villa Prediction, Odds, Lines, Spread, Date, Stream & How to Watch Premier League Match on FanDuel Watford vs Aston Villa Match Info 2021-22 English Premier League Soccer - EPL Matchweek 1 Watford (0-0-0, 0 points) vs. Aston Villa (0-0-0,...

AUGUST 11, 2021 • FANDUEL.COM

Ollie Watkins - Expected to be ready for opener Watkins is expected to be ready for Saturday's opener against Watford after suffering a bruised knee in last weekend's friendly, manager Dean Smith revealed to Sky Sports.

Impact Watkins should be ready for the opener, but that doesn't mean he'll start, especially with Danny Ings now an option up front. It remains to be seen how the lineup will look when those two are healthy, but early reports have Villa playing closer to a 4-4-2 with Watkins and Ings in forward roles.

AUGUST 11, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Ambitious Villa aiming high: Excitement with new arrivals, hype around Philogene-Bidace and dreaming of a trophy Aston Villa have been busy this summer, aggressively recruiting to replace Jack Grealish and carefully rebuilding a squad to kick on again

AUGUST 11, 2021 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Grealish 'teared up' after Villa exit, targets CL with City

Lionel Messi isn’t the only player who has been making a tearful farewell to his long-time club

AUGUST 9, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

PREMIER LEAGUE 21-22: Toney, Gilmour can be breakout stars

A look at five potential breakout players in the upcoming Premier League season, which begins on Friday

AUGUST 9, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Emiliano Buendia - Misses final friendly Buendia wasn't in the squad for Sunday's friendly against Salernitana because of a hip complaint.

Impact This doesn't seem like a major worry for Buendia, but with less than a week ahead of Saturday's opener against Watford, there's a chance he's not ready to start. More information should be revealed in the coming days ahead of that match.

AUGUST 9, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Ollie Watkins - Exits injured in friendly Watkins left just after half-time of Saturday's friendly with a possible muscle injury, reports Birmingham Live.

Impact More information on Watkins will be made known in the week leading up to Saturday's opener against Watford, but it's not a good sign. He started 37 matches last season, but if it's indeed a muscle injury, he may be forced to miss multiple matches in the early season. Fortunately, Danny Ings is now in the team and can easily replace him up front.

AUGUST 9, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Bertrand Traore - Returns for final friendly Traore (groin) played 30 minutes off the bench in Sunday's friendly against Salernitana.

Impact Traore looks to be recovered from his groin surgery underwent at the end of June. Given his lack of full training, he may not be an option to start Saturday's opener against Watford, but he'll undoubtedly be an option for the Villans.

AUGUST 9, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Axel Tuanzebe - Loaned to Aston Villa Tuanzebe has joined Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United for the upcoming season.

Impact Tuanzebe was a third-string option at best for Man United following the addition of Raphael Varane, and now he'll likely be more of the next-man up for the Villa back line. Still, he'll likely be behind Tyron Mings and Ezri Konsa at center-back, while he'll fight with Kortney Hause for backup minutes.

AUGUST 9, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Leicester tops Man City 1-0 at Wembley in Grealish debut

Kelechi Iheanacho’s late penalty has given Leicester a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield, stealing the spotlight from Jack Grealish

AUGUST 7, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Aston Villa vs. Sevilla: Live stream, start time, TV channel, how to watch 2021 soccer club friendly How to watch Saturday's match.

AUGUST 7, 2021 • MASSLIVE.COM

Douglas Luiz - Ends tournament with Gold Luiz put one shot on goal and made one interception during Saturday's 2-1 win over Spain.

Impact Luiz was a major contributor to Brazil's success in the Olympic tournament as they won the Gold Medal in this contest. When returning to his club, it's likely he'll get some time off before contributing in the Premier League, so he may not be seen in the lineup for the first weeks of the season.

AUGUST 7, 2021 • ROTOWIRE