Aston Villa appear to be facing a difficult selection dilemma ahead of their clash against Liverpool.
The Reds return to Premier League action on Boxing Day with an away trip to Villa Park. It will be their first league fixture since beating Southampton at Anfield on November 12.
Before then, Jurgen Klopp ’s side will take on Manchester City in the third round of the Carabao Cup next Thursday. Liverpool have recently completed a ‘pre-season style’ training camp in Dubai with friendlies against Lyon and AC Milan.
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Liverpool are currently sixth in the Premier League table, and will be looking to have a strong second half of the campaign when it resumes after Christmas. Their first match sees them face Villa, who have a relatively new manager at the helm in Unai Emery.
However, according to reports, the new Villa boss has a big decision to make for the match against Liverpool. It concerns their goalkeeper, Emi Martinez, who is starring at the World Cup with Argentina.
Martinez has helped guide his country to the final in Qatar, which takes place on Sunday. This match is just eight days before the match between Liverpool and Villa on Boxing Day.
It has been reported in the Mail Online that Emery will hold talks with Martinez after the World Cup final. The article says that the Villa boss will assess the goalkeeper’s state of mind over whether he will be available to play against Liverpool.
Should Martinez be unable to play, Villa would likely turn to Robin Olsen as his back-up. Olsen had a loan spell with Everton in 2020/21, and signed for Villa from Roma in the summer.
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