Goalkeeper Emiliano 'El Dibu' Martínez raised alarms in the Argentina National Team after he had to be replaced at halftime during the Aston Villa match against Crystal Palace, which ended in a 4-1 defeat in the Premier League. The Argentine did not play the second half of the match as he was substituted by Robin Olsen.
This was done because the player from Mar del Plata felt discomfort in his hamstring, which he has been carrying since the match against Chelsea over the weekend. However, the English club stated that the decision was made to prevent further issues, and while they ruled out any injury for 'Dibu' Martínez, he will undergo medical tests and an official medical report is expected from the 'Villains'.
Coach Unai Emery addressed the situation of the goalkeeper in a press conference and provided more details about what happened: 'Yesterday he felt a bit of pain. He trained and today he felt good in the warm-up. In the first half, he told us he had a bit of pain and we decided to change him.'
The Argentine has a tough schedule in March, where with Aston Villa, he will continue playing Premier League matches and also participate in the Champions League round of 16, facing Bruges on Tuesday the 4th for the first leg and on the 12th for the return leg. Additionally, the player from Mar del Plata will face the double match of the South American Qualifiers with the 'Albiceleste', where he will play against Uruguay away on Friday, March 21 at 20:30 (Argentina time) and will host Brazil at the Monumental Stadium on Tuesday the 25th at 21:00 (Argentina time).
