---
title: "Aston Villa: Emiliano Buendia a doubt for Bournemouth"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/aston-villa-team-news-emiliano-buendia-a-doubt-for-bournemouth-steven-gerrard/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "David Comerford"
section: "Aston Villa News"
published: "2022-08-06T09:35:11Z"
modified: "2022-08-06T09:35:11Z"
---

# Aston Villa: Emiliano Buendia a doubt for Bournemouth

**Aston Villa midfielder Emiliano Buendia is a doubt for the club’s season opener against Bournemouth on Saturday, according to two reliable journalists.**

### The lowdown

Steven Gerrard will bring his Villa side to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon to take on Scott Parker’s newly-promoted Cherries.

Buendia made 35 Premier League appearances for the Villans last season,[starting 22 times overall](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/emiliano-buendia/leistungsdaten/spieler/321247/plus/0?saison=2021).

[Only Matty Cash (38)](https://fbref.com/en/squads/8602292d/2021-2022/Aston-Villa-Stats), Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Martinez (both 36) featured in more top-flight matches for the club in 2021/22.

Buendia recorded the joint-most assists (six, level with Danny Ings) and led the way outright for expected assists with 5.5 (via [FBRef](https://fbref.com/en/squads/8602292d/2021-2022/Aston-Villa-Stats)).

The [£75,000-per-week](https://www.spotrac.com/epl/aston-villa-fc/payroll/) playmaker has been called a [‘tenacious little character’, an ‘amazing talent’](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10490085/Aston-Villa-Steven-Gerrard-praises-Emi-Buendia-January-explosion-earned-Argentina-bow.html) and a [‘little warrior’](https://www.pinkun.com/sport/norwich-city/canaries-ncfc-aston-villa-buendia-gerrard-praise-8639240) by manager Steven Gerrard.

### The latest

Both [The Athletic’s Gregg Evans](https://twitter.com/greggevans40/status/1555478807817101312) and [The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece](https://twitter.com/PreeceObserver/status/1555478850439725057) describe Buendia as a ‘doubt’ for the trip to the South Coast.

Evans explains that he is ‘recovering from \[a\] quad injury’ but was able to train on Thursday and would ‘be assessed’ ahead of the game.

Preece, meanwhile, adds specifically that Buendia ‘picked up \[a\] thigh strain in last week’s behind-closed-doors game vs Fulham’.

Intriguingly, these updates came *after* [the official club account](https://twitter.com/AVFCOfficial/status/1555474942510129155) stated that Buendia would be ‘available for selection’, so it seems the journalists have received slightly less optimistic information, with Preece [confirming](https://twitter.com/PreeceObserver/status/1555479941243863041) a late fitness check is expected before the match.

\[freshpress-quiz id=”389386″\]

### The verdict

How will Aston Villa’s team look on Saturday?

Well, one area where there is some clarity is the midfield three. [According to The Daily Mail’s Tom Collomosse](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11085675/Steven-Gerrard-reveals-Tyrone-Mings-hurt-stripped-Aston-Villa-captaincy.html), Gerrard is ‘expected’ to start new signing Boubacar Kamara alongside Douglas Luiz and John McGinn.

\[freshpress-poll id=”399011″\]

McGinn has been appointed the new club captain, [taking the armband from Tyrone Mings](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11084159/Steven-Gerrard-says-wanted-new-time-captain-ahead-new-season.html). It will be interesting to see, therefore, whether the deposed centre-back keeps his place in the side at all, with Diego Carlos adding to the competition.

And Gerrard also has a decision to make up front – does he play both Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins, or favour one over the other? Perhaps the absence of Buendia in the attacking midfield role will force the gaffer into a traditional front two.