Aston Villa dealt injury blow ahead of Man City title decider amid Liverpool hope

Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa is facing a lengthy layoff after suffering a serious knee injury during the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday.

The defender could now be ruled out for as long as 16 weeks, meaning he is out for the rest of this season and will also miss the start of next season. Konsa has played in 29 of Villa’s 36 Premier League games this term, scoring twice and helping to keep eight clean sheets, with his performances linking him with an England call-up earlier in the campaign.

The news will come as a blow to Liverpool, too, who are relying on Villa to do them a favour against Manchester City on the final day of the Premier League season this Sunday. Pep Guardiola’s City side are currently leading the Reds by a point in the title race as they hunt down a fourth domestic championship in the space of five seasons.

For City, a win over Villa at the Etihad Stadium would secure a sixth ever Premier League crown for them, with Jurgen Klopp’s side praying for some help from one of their most beloved sons, Steven Gerrard.

The former midfielder, who captained the Reds and played 710 times for them between 1998 and 2015, will be keen to end Villa’s season on a high to simultaneously give Liverpool any hope of winning the league title on Sunday.

A massive blow to Villa’s cause will be the loss of defender Konsa, who has been a key player for his side this season. Unlike most of the Premier League, Villa are one of six teams in action on Thursday with two games left this season. They take on relegation-threatened Burnley on Thursday night, with a win for Gerrard’s side putting Burnley at serious risk of getting relegated.

For that match, Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is a potential doubt with a