Feyenoord will be without midfielder Quinten Timber for their Europa League home match against Aston Villa on Thursday. Manager Robin van Persie confirmed at a press conference that Timber is unavailable after missing Wednesday morning’s training session.
“He has a foot injury,” Van Persie explained. “It doesn’t appear to be too serious, so there’s a chance he could play on Sunday against FC Utrecht. But tomorrow’s match comes too soon, unfortunately.”
Timber’s absence forces Van Persie to adjust his lineup once again. The manager faced criticism after making seven changes for the team’s first Europa League match, which resulted in a comprehensive defeat away to Braga. When asked if he had a limit on substitutions, Van Persie joked, “Seven. That’s my limit,” before adding more seriously, “Every game is unique. You always have to adapt based on how players recover from previous matches.”
The team will, however, be bolstered by the return of Sem Steijn, who missed the last match against FC Groningen due to illness, and defender Anel Ahmedhodzic, who is back from suspension.
Their opponents, Aston Villa, feature four Dutch players in their squad: goalkeeper Marco Bizot, forward Donyell Malen, and defenders Ian Maatsen and Lamare Bogarde. Both Maatsen and Bogarde are products of Feyenoord’s youth academy, having moved to England around the age of 16.
“Villa is a fantastic team with a fantastic manager [in four-time Europa League winner Unai Emery],” Van Persie stated. “They are incredibly fit and play with a lot of structure. I believe we do as well, especially defensively, so I don’t expect a chaotic game.”
He acknowledged Villa as the clear favorites. “When you’re talking about a top Premier League team, that’s logical. In terms of budget and salaries, they operate in a completely different world, but we will still do everything we can to win.”
While again praising the quality of Aston Villa’s squad and coach, Van Persie added with a grin, “But I think we have very good players too, and a very good manager as well.”
Player Givairo Read, also at the press conference, said the team is ready to give 100 percent. “That happens automatically when you play at De Kuip at 9 PM,” he said. “You get an adrenaline kick.”
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