With the injuries to key Premier League midfielders throughout the top-flight continuing to rack up by the week right now, Aston Villa’s run of upcoming fixtures (WOL, eve, NEW, whm, STK, wba, WIG) looks likely to offer further chances for the in-form and injury-free pair of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing to terrorise opposition defences.
Gerard Houllier’s side sit just two points above the drop zone and, with the likes of fellow strugglers Wolves and West Ham coming into form at this critical stage of the season, desperately need to start producing the goods if they are to guarantee survival. With just one clean sheet since gameweek 11, there‘s clearly little security at the back, a point Houllier has been critical of lately. Certainly, recent off-field events have indicated that all is not well amongst the club’s defenders, a fact Houllier must rectify as his side prepare for a crucial run-in.

