Villa get injury boost as Cash escapes serious damage

Aston Villa have been handed a boost ahead of Saturday's visit of Brentford, with Matty Cash understood to have suffered only a dead leg while on international duty.

The right-back was forced off in the second half of Poland's defeat in Bosnia during the international break, raising fears that Villa could be without him. Birmingham Live understands there is no long-term damage.

Villa's medical staff will check on all of the players as they return to the training ground at Bodymoor Heath, but there do not appear to be any fresh problems.

Who is back

Several players overcame injuries during the break and played in the friendly win over Sevilla in Spain last week, including Brian Madjo, Alysson, Pau Torres and goalkeeper Marco Bizot.

Midfielder Leon Goretzka returned to training during the break and travelled with the squad to Spain, but did not play against Sevilla because he was not quite ready. He could be involved against Brentford, and Unai Emery is expected to give an update at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Who is still out

Ian Maatsen is still sidelined for several weeks and will miss the Brentford match. He is also likely to miss the trip to Newcastle and the Champions League home games against Fenerbahce and Viking, and could return against Manchester City on 24 October at the earliest.

Amadou Onana is ruled out for most, if not all, of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury while playing for Belgium at the World Cup.

Searching for a first home win

Villa have lost both of their Premier League home matches so far this season, against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, but won their first league game of the campaign at Tottenham before the break.

Brentford have made a strong start and will travel to Villa Park unbeaten. They beat Villa home and away in the league last season, and knocked them out of the Carabao Cup on penalties.

A reduced capacity

Villa are also playing in front of smaller crowds this season. The capacity of Villa Park has been cut to around 37,000 while the North Stand is rebuilt and enlarged, which will make the ground considerably bigger when the work is finished.

Home form has been the foundation of Villa's success under Emery, who led the club to Europa League glory last season, ending a 30-year wait for a major trophy. Saturday's match is the first of a busy run of fixtures.

A busy month ahead

The Brentford game starts a demanding run for Villa. Domestic league fixtures are combined with Champions League matches, and Emery will have to manage the fitness of his players carefully, particularly in defence, where several players are only now returning from injury.