Aston Villa handed huge Zion Suzuki boost after Asian Cup postponed
Aston Villa have been handed a huge boost regarding goalkeeper Zion Suzuki’s availability for fixtures in January and February.
Suzuki had been set to take part in the Asian Cup with Japan this winter, which would have meant him missing multiple games for Villa during a busy period.
However, it has been confirmed that the Asian Cup has been postponed, and will now take place next year between 23rd December 2027 and 21st January 2028.
The tournament, which will be held in Saudi Arabia, has been postponed due to regional safety concerns, after recent attacks on the host nation.
If Suzuki had taken part in the Asian Cup and Japan made it all the way to the final, he would have been absent for as many as eight games in various competitions.
The original start date of the Asian Cup was 5th January, meaning Suzuki was likely to miss Villa’s away match at Villa Park on 2nd January as presumably Japan would have required him to meet up with the team at least a few days before the tournament began.
He was then set to be absent for home games against Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Ipswich Town, as well as away contests versus Everton, Fulham, Slavia Praha, and potentially Sunderland on 6th February if Japan went far in the tournament.
The fixtures against Dortmund and Slavia Praha are Villa’s final two matches of the league phase of the Champions League.
Given they have got off to a strong start, picking up a maximum nine points from their first three games and sitting second in the table, it is likely they will be fighting for a place in the top eight, which would mean they skip the playoff round before the round of 16.
Every point will count, and Villa may need two victories in the last two games to secure a top eight position, so having a full strength team will be vital.
Villa’s current backup is Marco Bizot, who has been on a concerning run of form whenever he has been called into action since February of this year.
He was sent off against Newcastle United in an FA Cup tie at Villa Park after unnecessarily flying out of his goal almost to the half way line and taking out a Newcastle attacker.
Bizot started his Villa career well, but the 35-year-old has rapidly declined since that Newcastle game, and his performances had led to real concerns among fans at the prospect of him starting eight straight games while Suzuki was away.
The postponement of the Asian Cup has only delayed this conundrum for another year, but Villa may have a stronger backup by then as Bizot’s contract runs out next summer. Having Suzuki available for a busy and important run of fixtures in the new year is a huge development.
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