Argentina duo Emi Martinez and Emi Buendia to miss Aston Villa's clash with Chelsea
Villa will be without Emi Martinez and Emi Buendia for next month’s trip to Chelsea after reaching an agreement allowing the duo to represent Argentina on international duty.
The pair looked set to miss three matches due to their desire to represent their country, despite Premier League clubs requesting players did not travel to red-list nations.
But after talks with Villa over the weekend a compromise was reached. Goalkeeper Martinez and playmaker Buendia will now be allowed to travel for Argentina’s opening two World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Brazil but will return before the final match against Bolivia.
Though they will still be required to quarantine for 10 days on arrival back in the UK, the trip to Chelsea on September 11 is now the only Villa fixture they will sit out.
A Villa statement explained: "There are no easy solutions as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to adversely impact professional sport.
"After careful consideration we think this plan respects the long established call-up rules and balances the importance which top players place on representing their countries in important matches with the best interests of Aston Villa.
"We wish all of our players who are joining up with their national teams the best of luck in their upcoming matches."
