- Martinez has traveled to Athens for the second leg of the semi-finals
- Aston Villa must overturn a two-goal deficit at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
- Another nightmare… which players are to blame and should Thomas Tuchel come in? Listen to the It all starts! Man United Crisis Special podcast
Emiliano Martinez will hold talks with Unai Emery and the club’s medical team on Thursday as he aims to help Aston Villa reach the Europa Conference League final.
The Argentina goalkeeper has traveled to Athens for the second leg of the semi-final against Olympiacos, with Villa trailing 4-2 from the first leg despite missing the last two and a half games due to a hamstring problem.
Although Emery expressed his confidence in Martinez’s deputy Robin Olsen, Martinez is arguably Villa’s most important player and they are not the same without him.
Emery said: “He is with us today. He was injured last week in the match against Chelsea ten days ago. Before the match I will talk to him and the doctor to see if he is 100 percent fit to play.
‘But I believe in Olsen and I am not just building the team with the players in the starting line-up. If we did that, we would be done now because a lot of players have been injured. If Martinez is 100 percent available, he will play, but if not, Olsen will play.”
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez took part in training for the match against Olympiacos
Aston Villa must overcome a two-goal deficit at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium on Thursday
If Villa are serious about returning to the elite of European football, they need to show on nights like this that they can get results.
The Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium is one of the most intimidating venues in European football and only 1,600 Villa fans will be there to cheer on their team.
Yet these are the games Emery has chosen to take Villa to the next level. With Champions League qualification within reach, Emery knows his team must learn to deal with the heat of opposing matches in an unfamiliar environment.
Although Villa have reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, their progress has been based on strong home performances. The 4-1 win over AZ Alkmaar last October is Villa’s only victory on their travels in the competition proper, and they were poor in the 0-0 draw at Ajax and the 2-1 defeat at Lille, when Villa were lucky to get through to come. on punishments.
“They are favorites and we have to accept that,” Emery said. ‘This is the biggest challenge we will face this year. Hopefully the game will be long, more than 90 minutes. If so, that’s good news for us.
‘We’re really enjoying what we’re doing this year. It was tough but really great and I told the players that I wanted to enjoy it more. I want to see how we can respond against Olympiacos.
‘I’m very proud of how we did this year. Our response to defeats has been fantastic and the players have always followed our instructions. “I don’t know how many more games we have to play this season, but we have to find our best level of performance.”