Aston Villa predicted line-up vs. Fulham: Four changes with Martínez a doubt

Aston Villa will continue the hunt for their first win of the Premier League season on Sunday when they welcome Fulham to Villa Park – but they may head into the match without several key players.

Unai Emery has issues in midfield with three first-teamers expected to be absent, while a worry over the fitness of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez provides a fresh headache heading into the match against Marco Silva’s side.

We’ve got all the latest team news and injury updates below ahead of Sunday’s fixture, along with our prediction for Villa’s starting line-up.

Is Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez injured?

Argentine goalkeeper Martínez was a surprise omission from the squad for the Europa League victory over Bologna in midweek, with Emery later explaining that he had been left out due to a “small injury” that had prevented him from training.

Clarifying that the problem was “just a kick,” Emery told the media during his pre-match press conference that he expected Martínez to return to training on Friday or Saturday and that he was hopeful that the goalkeeper would be available to start what will be his first home game of the season.

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Martínez missed both the 0-0 draw with Newcastle United on the opening day and the 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace due to speculation of his future ahead of transfer deadline day. If he is unable to recover from the knock that kept him out of the game against Bologna, then back-up Marco Bizot will take his place once more.

Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans among injuries ahead of Fulham match

Three midfielders are expected to be unavailable on Sunday, giving Emery a continued selection headache as he works to turn his team’s fortunes around.

Amadou Onana (hamstring) has now missed the last five matches and Youri Tielemans (calf) three, but both are expected to be out for at least another week as they continue their recoveries. Both could return for next weekend’s home match against Burnley, with Tielemans believed to be the more likely to come back in time.

Ross Barkley, meanwhile, is still absent due to a personal matter and is not expected to return to the squad. Full-back Andrés García has returned to full training and was on the bench in the Europa League.

As well as offering updates on the fitness of his players ahead of the Fulham match, Emery also discussed Morgan Rogers’ recent struggles, suggesting that the out-of-form attacking midfielder is likely to keep his place in the starting side for the foreseeable future:

“Morgan is young and needs time for experiences. I kept him on the field because I wanted his reaction, how he was accepting everything and he did it,” Emery told the press. "He was working for the team, but he was not being clinical offensively. He needs to take experiences, not playing very well, the crowd not being happy with him and him getting his experiences and grow up through it."

Full Aston Villa predicted line-up vs. Fulham: Martínez; Digne, Mings, Konsa, Cash; Kamara, McGinn; Malen, Rogers, Guessand; Watkins