Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has defended captain John McGinn and his team’s discipline before their Europa Conference League second leg with Ajax.
The Scot is available for Thursday’s last-16 second leg, with the tie at 0-0 after last week’s draw in Amsterdam.
Defender Ezri Konsa is suspended after he was sent off in the first leg, while Nicolo Zaniolo is also banned.
Italian midfielder Zaniolo picked up his third yellow card in the competition in last week’s match.
“I can’t say anything about the discipline of the players – Konsa’s red card was not really a red card but we have to accept the referee’s decision in that moment,” said Emery.
“On Sunday it was different circumstances. Tomorrow we can play with John McGinn which is fantastic to use him and his quality, power and spirit.
“We have players ready to play and trying to help the team.”
Defender Matty Cash also believes Scotland international McGinn will bounce back from Sunday’s frustration.
It was the first time the midfielder had been sent off for Villa in 224 games since joining from Hibernian in 2018.
“He is the captain,” said Cash. “It was a moment and a difficult day for everyone, really. We have tried to get our arms round each other and lift each other up.
“John is a leader and knows how to react. He has reacted positively and trained well. For us, tomorrow is the main focus now and then we can worry about the upcoming week. It is great to have him available. He is a massive player for this team.”
Villa are aiming for a first European quarter-final since 1998 and Thursday’s match against Ajax is a “big motivation to put things right” following Sunday’s Spurs defeat which damaged their top-four ambitions.
Cash added: “The first game at Ajax was a tough game, and on the back of a tough defeat at the weekend as well, tomorrow is the perfect game to bounce back.”
The match will include England midfielder Jordan Henderson, 33, returning to England for his first game since joining Ajax in January after six months in Saudi Arabia.
“They added a very experienced player, a top English player,” said Emery. “He knows how we can play tomorrow. He played fantastic there [in the first leg] and tomorrow we have to be ready to stop their gameplan.”
