Aston Villa boss Dean Smith admits John McGinn faces losing his battle to be fit for next month’s Carabao Cup final showdown with Manchester City . Smith’s side have experienced mixed results ever since, with wins over Norwich, Burnley and Watford intermingled with defeats to the Hornets, City and Bournemouth. Reaching the Carabao Cup final has been a silver lining as Villa have slipped perilously close to the relegation zone, with just a point keeping them out of it at present. Fans had been hoping McGinn would be available again for the showpiece Wembley clash as Villa look to upset the odds and win their first major trophy since 1996. However, Smith says the Scotland international is still some way off being fully fit and will probably have to sit out the trip to north London.

Source: Express February 11, 2020 16:19 UTC