Aston Villa vs AFC Bournemouth - Virus sidelines Gabriel Agbonlahor

Posted Friday, April 08, 2016 by PA

Aston Villa remain without Gabriel Agbonlahor as they attempt to preserve their Barclays Premier League status for a little longer.

Agbonlahor was set to be available against Bournemouth this weekend after missing last Saturday's defeat to Chelsea as a club punishment for his conduct during a recent trip to Dubai, where the 29-year-old forward was pictured apparently smoking a shisha pipe.

However, after training well for most of this week, the club revealed he is now suffering from virus and will miss out at Villa Park on Saturday.

"He (Agbonlahor) has not trained today (Friday) and I have taken him out of the squad because he is coming in to see the doctor. He phoned in this morning to say he was struggling with a virus," said interim manager Eric Black.

"It's a shame because he's been okay, I couldn't fault him for his attitude in training. What we have asked him to do he has done. He hasn't been a problem.

"But he has called in this morning saying he's feeling unwell."

Villa's fate has had an inevitable feel about it for many weeks but relegation can be mathematically sealed this weekend.

Bottom of the table and 15 points adrift of safety, Villa must match Norwich's result at Crystal Palace to earn a stay of execution.

Their opponents Bournemouth are just one of three teams that Villa have beaten this season in the Premier League.

That victory came on the opening day of the campaign courtesy of a Rudy Gestede header but so much has changed since then.

Black said: "I remember Gestede's goal, on the first day. It was a great start and a great victory but things have conspired and we're bottom of the league and I'm not hiding from that fact.

"I'm a great believer in football that most of the time the work and the effort and due diligence you put in, you get 70-80 per cent of it back.

"We're in a position where we're not so let's try and solve the problems and I know that the people above are doing their utmost to try to ensure the club gets back where it should be."

Agbonlahor will remain out but Libor Kozak is back in contention after more than two months sidelined with a fractured ankle while Ciaran Clark, Adama Traore (foot) and Jack Grealish (ankle) are also fit.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe never imagined Aston Villa would end up being in a relegation fight when the sides met at the Vitality Stadium on the opening day of the season.

Villa came away from the south coast with a 1-0 victory but they have since won just twice more.

They sit 15 points from safety and must at least match Norwich's result - the Canaries play Crystal Palace on Saturday - to keep their Premier League survival hopes alive.

Reflecting on their first meeting in August, Howe admits he did not think Villa would be in danger of going down this season: "No. I think that day they looked a strong team, they had some good players.

"It is difficult first game of the season, you can't read too much into the result and you can't jump to too many conclusions but on that day I thought they were a good outfit.

"It seems a long time ago now, a lot has happened since.

"It was a good performance (for Bournemouth), we created chances but probably didn't work their goalkeeper enough and then we got done with a set play. That day it was 'welcome to the Premier League'."

Howe, though, is not too concerned by Villa's plight, and added: "You can focus too much on the opposition. Yes we are aware of them and everything they do but it is about us getting our processes right.

"I think a lot has been made of the crowd and the issues they had last week but football can change quickly."

Adam Smith could be out as the defender is suffering from a hernia which he has been carrying for a number of weeks.

Joshua King is back to full fitness after he was substituted last weekend at half-time due to illness and Harry Arter (Achilles/calf), Benik Afobe and Junior Stanislas (both hamstring) are improving but unavailable.