Pau Torres is expected to miss the next two to four weeks with a hamstring injury, deepening Aston Villa's defensive crisis ahead of their Carabao Cup clash with Coventry City. The Spanish defender limped off after just 25 minutes of the 1-2 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, a result that leaves the club 19th in the Premier League with just one point from four matches.

Torres felt discomfort in his right hamstring and was immediately withdrawn, with the club now assessing the full extent of the damage. He is likely to be absent for Villa's upcoming Premier League fixture against Tottenham and is not expected back until after the international break. His absence compounds a severe shortage of options at the back.

Maatsen and Cash also sidelined

Left-back Ian Maatsen is facing a longer layoff, set to miss six to eight weeks with an ankle injury. The problem occurred during the same loss to Forest following a tackle from behind by James McAtee. While scans showed no fracture, Maatsen suffered tendon damage and may not return until mid-November.

On the opposite flank, Poland international Matty Cash is also a major doubt for Wednesday's cup game. The 29-year-old missed the Champions League win at Club Brugge with a muscular issue and was not fit enough for the bench against Forest. His availability for the short trip to Coventry remains uncertain.

Youth prospect and midfield woes

The injury issues extend beyond the first-team regulars. Teenage forward Brian Madjo, who scored on his debut in the Super Cup, is out with a foot injury until after the international break. In midfield, the situation is particularly bleak. Summer signing Leon Goretzka, brought in on a free transfer to bolster the squad, injured his knee upon returning to training after his post-World Cup break and will not feature until the extended international break concludes.

The most severe long-term absence is Amadou Onana. The £50m midfielder suffered an ACL injury 21 minutes into Belgium's World Cup Round of 16 win over the USA and is unlikely to play for Aston Villa until the very end of the 2026/27 season. This cascade of setbacks has left manager Unai Emery with a threadbare squad as he attempts to handle a difficult start to the campaign.

With the team struggling for form, having lost three of their last five matches, the manager must now find solutions from within. The club's squad page shows the limited options available, especially in defence and central midfield. Fans can check the full fixtures schedule to see the challenging run of games ahead, which continues with a trip to 17th-placed Tottenham this weekend. The immediate focus, however, is on Wednesday night's twenty-mile journey to face Championship side Coventry in the Carabao Cup third round, a match that will test Villa's depleted resources to the limit.

This story was first reported by 3 Added Minutes