After a horror debut against Brighton on the opening day of the Premier League season, Joao Gomes will have a chance to redeem himself if he is selected to start Aston Villa’s Champions League opener against Club Brugge.
Gomes’ first game for Villa spiralled into disaster and ended with a straight red card, meaning he has missed the last two Premier League games against Arsenal and Hull City as part of a three-match ban which still has one game left to serve.
He can however play in the Champions League, and if picked by Unai Emery, Gomes will make his debut in Europe’s premier competition
This represents an opportunity not only to put the events of Brighton behind him, but seize the starting spot in midfield next to Boubacar Kamara moving forward.
Leon Goretzka, who is yet to play for Villa after signing on a free transfer in August, announced on his instagram that he will be out injured until after the international break with what is reportedly a knee issue. That has opened the door for Gomes to grab the shirt.
It is easy to forget now, but Gomes was very impressive in preseason and it looked like he was going to be a big hit. As grisly as it was, one performance should not drain all the optimism of what he can be for Villa.
In his absence, Ross Barkley has deputised in central midfield and has done a fine job, but Gomes would surely be the preferred option, and having had two weeks to flush away his gruesome debut, it would make sense for Emery to throw him back in at the first opportunity.
He will then have to sit out the home game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and will therefore have to wait until October to make his Villa Park debut.
However, he will be available for the Carabao Cup trip to local rivals Coventry City as well as Tottenham in the Premier League before the international break. By the time Goretzka is back in the mix, Gomes could have entrenched himself as a starter if he can put in three strong performances.
It was well known when Gomes signed that he plays with emotion, which can at times spill over into hot-headedness. He picked up 30 yellow cards across the previous three Premier League seasons with Wolves, and his red card versus Brighton was his second dismissal since January.
Now it is time for him to show his composure and not let one bad game turn into something more damaging. Tuesday night’s clash in Belgium is hugely important for Gomes for determining the trajectory of his early Villa career.
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