Aston Villa star set to be out for around two months after Unai Emery shares new diagnosis

Aston Villa return to Champions League action against Viking on Wednesday night with an opportunity to make their impressive European start better.

Unai Emery’s side have collected six points from their opening two league phase fixtures and will be expected to take another major step towards qualification at Villa Park.

Reuters/Andrew Boyers

Villa began with a dramatic 3-2 victory at Club Brugge before crushing Fenerbahçe 6-0 in Birmingham.

That was the biggest European win in the club’s history and provided another reminder of how dangerous Emery’s side can be under the lights at home.

Momentum has continued to build since then, with Villa following that performance by beating Newcastle 1-0 at St James’ Park as impressive summer signing Johan Manzambi scored the decisive goal.

Manzambi will not face Viking after suffering a minor injury, but Villa should still possess enough attacking quality to cause the Norwegian champions serious problems.

The visitors cannot be treated lightly, however.

Viking recovered from an opening defeat at Stuttgart by securing a thrilling 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich. They’ve also scored in 10 consecutive European matches and arrive with nothing to lose.

This will be the first competitive meeting between the clubs.

Villa are unbeaten across their last 14 home games in Europe and have won 11 of those matches in succession, making them strong favourites to extend their perfect Champions League start.

However, Emery’s preparations have been complicated by another worrying injury update.

Aston Villa suffer Matteo Ruggeri setback as Unai Emery changes injury forecast

REUTERS/Tony O Brien

The Villa boss has now revealed that Matteo Ruggeri is expected to spend around two months on the sidelines with the hamstring problem he suffered against Brentford.

That is a longer absence than first feared. Emery initially suggested the Italian would miss more than a month, but the latest assessment means he could remain unavailable until close to Christmas.

Ruggeri was forced off during Villa’s 2-2 draw with Brentford earlier this month, and his setback came at a particularly awkward time because Ian Maatsen was also unavailable, leaving Emery short of natural choices on the left side of defence.

Maatsen has now returned to group training, which offers some welcome relief, but there is no guarantee he will be ready to start against Viking.

The wider injury picture remains frustrating.

REUTERS/Maurice Van Steen

Aaron Wan-Bissaka is expected to miss another three or four weeks after hurting his hamstring at Newcastle, while Amadou Onana is still working his way back from a longer absence.

Emery has repeatedly shown that he can find solutions when important players are missing. Tyrone Mings can provide a more defensive option on the left, while Lamare Bogarde offers versatility across the back line.

Neither gives Villa exactly what Ruggeri provides, though.

REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

The immediate focus remains Viking and securing a third European victory.

Villa have scored nine goals in their first two Champions League games, and another convincing display would leave them in a powerful early position.