Smith hopes Mings pick up at Saints...
DEAN Smith is confident key defender Tyrone Mings will be available for Aston Villa’s huge Premier League showdown at Southampton this weekend.
Mings missed Sunday’s agonising 3-2 defeat at home to Tottenham after suffering from a bout of tonsillitis.
His absence was keenly felt on the pitch where Bjorn Engels, his replacement, conceded a penalty before gifting the visitors an injurytime winner with an horrendous mistake in possession.
Mings has been integral to Villa’s rearguard effort this season and Smith hopes the England international will be back in time to face the Saints on Saturday.
“We think he’s got
tonsillitis, so we’ll get him rested and back ready for next weekend,” said the head coach. “He came in on Saturday morning and wasn’t feeling well. “I thought he’d be OK to play (against Spurs) so I didn’t name the team until I found out how he was on Sunday.”
Having netted dramatic stoppagetime winners in their previous two home matches against Watford and Leicester it was roles reversed for Villa, who were floored by a 94thminute sucker punch from Tottenham striker Heung-Min Son.
“It was a sore one because of the time they scored,” Smith admitted. “It’s a tough one to take, perhaps more because of the performance, as I thought we were really good.
“There was lots of personality in our performance. We had a VAR decision go against us again, which is disappointing, but if our performance levels continue to be like that, we won’t go too far wrong.
“We came up against a quality front four and they can cause problems for any team.”
The defeat, which leaves Villa just one point above the bottom three, was especially painful for goalkeeper Pepe Reina, who pulled off a succession of second-half saves to deny Spurs. The veteran Spaniard thwarted Son numerous times, but had no answer to the South Korean’s deadly finish in time added on.
“He’s made some really good saves,” Smith added. “On top of that, his distribution is what he gives us as well.
“They’ve had some chances, but at 1-0 we had chances where we could have put the game to bed and couldn’t quite take them.”
Meanwhile, National Express has announced details of the coach service it will be providing to Villa supporters for the Carabao Cup Final against Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday, March 1.
“National Express is running dedicated services direct to the stadium,” the company said in a statement. “Fans can choose from pick up in the city centre at Birmingham coach station or locations in Great Barr, Lichfield, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and Tamworth.
“Schedules will ensure arrival in plenty of time with departure 45 minutes after the completion of the game – whether it ends in normal time, extra time or after penalties. Return fares start from £25.”
Fans wishing to book their seats can visit www.nationalexpress.com or call 0871 781 8181.