Villa set to make late check on Martinez for Olympiacos second leg
Emiliano Martinez looks set to return to the Aston Villa side as they plot a dramatic European comeback against Olympiacos tonight.
The Argentina goalkeeper hasmissedthelasttwogames with a thigh injury suffered in the 2-2 Premier League draw with Chelsea 11 days ago.
But he has been training for the last couple of days and made the journey to Athens yesterday as Villa try to overcome a 4-2 first-leg deficit.
Martinez was sorely missed in last week’s first leg when Villa were run ragged by the Greek side, leaving them with an uphill task if they are to reach a first European final since 1982.
Emery was tight-lipped aboutwhethertheworldcup winnerwouldstartinathens, other than to say it would be decidedonthemorningofthe match.
“He’s with us today,” Emery said. “I don’t want to keep information from you. He was injured last week after the match against Chelsea.
“Tomorrow I will speak with him and the doctor to see if he is 100 per cent available. But if not I believe in Olsen. When we are building the team it is not only the players in the starting XI.”
Emery was far less forthcoming with news on Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Nicolo Zaniolo.
“Wehavesomeplayersclose to coming back but I don’t know exactly if they can play tomorrow or not,” he added. I prefer to wait for tomorrow.”
The Spaniard will have to channel his past as he has experience of overcoming a 2-0 first-leg deficit in a European tie when his Sevilla side came back to beat Real Betis in the Europa League 10 years ago.
If Villa were able to repeat the feat, in what is their biggest European game in 40 years, Emery says they would overcome their biggest challenge of the season.
“Experiences can always help, being successful or not,” Emery added. “But we have to
create and build a new way and we lost the first leg clearly.
“Tomorrow will be difficult to come back but we must play thinking to extend after the first 90 minutes, the game plan we had that didn’t work well but expect tomorrow to do better.
“It’s going to be very difficult here with the atmosphere.
“This is the challenge tomorrow, the biggest challenge we are going to face this year, playing in this semifinal.”
Olympiacos midfielder Vicente Iborra knows exactly what lengths Emery will be going to in his bid to achieve more European glory.
Emery has won the Europa League four times, three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal, and Iborra was in his team on every occasion.
“What we know is the coach of the visiting team, I am sure theyhavestudiedeverysingle detail,” he said.
“He is a coach that takes into consideration every detail which might happen in the match.
“He will try and have everything under control, convey hismessagetotheplayersand anticipate what might happen in the match.
“I have learned many things frommremery,butonething I will never forget from him is, in order to find yourself in a final, in order to experience this great moment in your lifetime, one truly has to want that, one has to long for it. I believe the team that makes it to the final will be the one who wants it the most, who will strive the most.”