Emiliano Martinez will hold talks with Unai Emery and the club’s medical team on Thursday as he strives to help Aston Villa’s bid to reach the Europa Conference League Final.
The Argentina goalkeeper has travelled to Athens for the second leg of the semi-final against Olympiacos, with Villa 4-2 down from the first leg, despite missing the last two-and-a-half games with a hamstring problem.
Though Emery declared his faith in Martinez’s deputy Robin Olsen, Martinez is arguably Villa’s most important player and they are not the same without him.
Emery said: ‘He’s with us today. He was injured last week in the match against Chelsea 10 days ago. Before the game I will speak with him and the doctor to see if he is 100 per cent fit to play.
‘But I believe in Olsen and I’m building the team not just with the players in the starting XI. If we did that we would be finished now because we’ve had a lot of players injured. If Martinez is available 100 per cent he will play but if not then Olsen will play.’
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez took part in training before Thursday’s Olympiacos clash
Aston Villa must overturn a two-goal deficit at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium on Thursday
If Villa are serious about rejoining the elite of European football then they must show they can deliver on nights like these.
The Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium is one of the most intimidating venues in European football and only 1,600 Villa fans will be there to cheer on their team.
Yet these are the games Emery has pinpointed to take Villa to the next level. With Champions League qualification within touching distance, Emery knows his team need to learn to handle the heat of hostile matches in unfamiliar surroundings.
Even though Villa have reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, their progress has been based on strong home displays. The 4-1 win at AZ Alkmaar last October is Villa’s only victory on their travels in the competition proper, and they were poor in the 0-0 draw at Ajax and the 2-1 defeat at Lille, when Villa were lucky to squeeze through on penalties.
‘They are favourites and we have to accept it,’ said Emery. ‘This is the biggest challenge we are going to face this year. Hopefully the game will go long, beyond 90 minutes. If it does it’s good news for us.
‘We are really enjoying what we are doing this year. It’s been tough but really amazing and I told the players I want to enjoy it more. I want to see how we can react against Olympiacos.
‘I’m very proud of how we’ve done this year. Our reaction to defeats has been fantastic and the players have always followed our instructions. I don’t know how many matches we have still to play this season but we have to find our best level of performance.’