
Follow us on Twitter @claretandview // Words by Mark Jirobe (@VillaMarkPGH)
With a quick turn around of only three days, Steve Bruce has to attempt to get Aston Villa up and ready for a Saturday contest against Sheffield Wednesday. Bruce will be delighted that this specific match is being held at Villa Park, and has all the makings of one that they should be winning, although not with complete ease. The injury report at Villa after the Preston game will have a monumental impact on how manager Steve Bruce alters his squad.
Steve Bruce revealed in his press conference that Josh Onomah and Robert Snodgrass each have suffered knocks after the Preston match, and both players should be pre-kickoff decisions. In the event that Onomah can not go ahead with his duties, we may all see the return of Jack Grealish into Onomahs’ usual central attacking midfield role. It might not be a far cry to see youngster Callum O’Hare on the bench to replace Grealish in the event of early fatigue or mediocre form from the Number 10 as well. Jonathan Kodjia is still being plagued by his ankle injury, and Keinan Davis will be the lone striker against Wednesday.
Sheffield Wednesday and their manager Carlos Carvalhal will be looking to win back-to-back wins for only the second time so far in this campaign. They are surely not getting any help by one-time Aston Villa transfer target Jordan Rhodes. Although Rhodes scored in the Owls last game against Millwall, it was the first instance of the striker finding the net in twenty-four league game appearances. Another shocking note is that one would have to look back to April of 2016 to find the last time Rhodes scored goals in back-to-back games.
Aston Villa must keep pace on the table by achieving all three points in this contest. With Derby County one point below them and Bristol City two points ahead of them, Villa have to practice some very serious concentration before going into yet another international break.
Two weeks without football AND Villa are regaining form?
That’s just cruel…