Aston Villa could be without four players ahead of their clash with Nottingham Forest this weekend.
The Reds will head to Villa Park on Saturday (3pm kick-off) looking to put their defeat to Leeds United behind them and get back to winning ways. However, there is set to be a surprisingly upbeat atmosphere among the travelling Forest fans after owner Evangelos Marinakis confirmed that Steve Cooper would be remaining as manager .
Forest are in desperate need of three points as the team have gone eight games without a win and sit perilously above the bottom three on goal difference. Cooper’s side have recorded only one win on the road this season but could be handed a boost from Villa, who currently have four players on the sidelines.
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Defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara has been a key performer in Villa’s resurgence under Unai Emery but was left out of the squad for the club’s win over Leicester on Tuesday. The France international was substituted against Chelsea at the weekend after returning from an ankle injury and is now a doubt to face the Reds.
Former Forest man Matty Cash will also miss out on an opportunity to line up against his old club. Cash picked up a calf problem during the recent international break with Poland and is expected to return to fitness later this month.
Elsewhere, Forest will not have to worry about Philippe Coutinho producing a moment of magic. The Brazilian is recovering from a hamstring injury that he picked up in February and, like Cash, will be hoping to back in contention over the coming weeks, while back-up goalkeeper Jed Steer remains a long-term absentee for Villa with an Achilles injury.
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