Ross Barkley returns to training for Aston Villa but Trezeguet remains out
Last Updated: December 22, 2020 6:15 pm
Barkley back in training
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has given a fitness update ahead of the game against Crystal Palace. Villa moved up to 9th in the table after recovering from a dip in form, winning two of their last three matches.
They have had to cope with a couple of injury issues with both Ross Barkley and Trezeguet experiencing fitness problems. However, Dean Smith has now revealed some positive news for the Villa faithful after confirming that Barkley has now returned to training.
“We are expecting Ross to start training tomorrow, which is good news for us. Trezeguet will still be missing but Ezri is also back in training from tomorrow,” Smith said.
The boss starts with team news…
“We are expecting Ross to start training tomorrow, which is good news for us. Trezeguet will still be missing but Ezri is also back in training from tomorrow.”#AVLCRY pic.twitter.com/Wd0VmgodtC
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 22, 2020
Barkley arrived on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea after struggling to work his way into the first-team squad. The Blues made significant investments in attack with Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner all arriving in the summer.
The move to Aston Villa did not deter the England international though and he became an integral part of Smith’s midfield – scoring on his debut in the 7-2 victory over Liverpool. However, he has not played since the 2-1 loss away from home against Brighton.
A strong start
Dean Smith has also reflected on what has been a fairly successful 2020 for Aston Villa. The West Midlands club survived a relegation battle and has since pushed on from a point of teetering over the drop.
The club were able to keep Jack Grealish at the club and made some significant signings including Arsenal’s Emiliano Martinez, Brentford’s Ollie Watkins, Nottingham Forest’s Matty Cash, Lyon’s Bertrand Traore and the aforementioned Barkley.
“Maintaining our status as a Premier League club was important to us, with the work that we put in from March. We added five quality players and now we feel that we’re in a really good place,” Smith remarked.
“I said from the start that Ollie would bring us a different dimension in terms of how we press and work without the ball. He enables us to defend higher up the pitch. He’s had some goals ruled out that were marginal and he’s playing very well.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 08: Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium on November 08, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Visionhaus)
Arguably their best signing has been that of goalkeeper Martinez. The Argentinian keeper arrived at Villa Park after leaving Arsenal having won the FA Cup and Community Shield. Mikel Arteta felt that Bernd Leno was still the number one option at the Gunners and Martinez was keen to move and play first team regular football.
“It’s been a team effort; Emi Martínez has given the whole team a lot of confidence. We have got a lot of players playing well at the moment and the unity is excellent.”
Ross Barkley is out for ‘2-3 weeks’ as Dean Smith is confident in back-up options
Ralph Hasenhuttl provides Southampton injury update ahead of Aston Villa/ Smith praises Barkley
This article was edited by Josh Barker.
Football Live streaming: Featured matches on January 17, 2020
| Game | Time | Predicted Score | Live Score Prediction/Live Score | How to Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Manchester City FC vs Crystal Palace FC | 17 January, 19:15 (In 9 minutes) | 2-0 | 2-0 |
Aston Villa betting odds, next game:
Man City vs Aston Villa odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
Aston Villa's latest videos
Aston Villa latest news
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester United FC | 17 | 10 | 36 |
| 2 | Leicester City FC | 18 | 12 | 35 |
| 3 | Liverpool FC | 17 | 16 | 33 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 18 | 16 | 33 |
| 5 | Manchester City FC | 16 | 12 | 32 |
| 6 | Everton FC | 17 | 7 | 32 |
| 7 | Chelsea FC | 18 | 12 | 29 |
| 8 | Southampton FC | 18 | 5 | 29 |
| 9 | West Ham United FC | 18 | 4 | 29 |
| 10 | Aston Villa FC | 15 | 13 | 26 |
| 11 | Arsenal FC | 18 | 1 | 24 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 18 | -4 | 23 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 18 | -7 | 23 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 19 | -8 | 22 |
| 15 | Newcastle United FC | 17 | -9 | 19 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 19 | -7 | 17 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 17 | -13 | 16 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 17 | -11 | 12 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 18 | -27 | 11 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 19 | -22 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 11 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 8 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 6 |
| Abraham, Tammy | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 5 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 5 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 6 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 5 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 5 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 5 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 5 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 4 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 4 |
| Klich, Mateusz | Leeds United | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 4 |
| Chilwell, Benjamin | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 4 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 3 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 3 |
