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Another international break has come and gone — and while some fans & players are thrilled and some have not yet recovered — it is time to catch up on what is happening in the Aston Villa world as Villa enter a busy stretch.
- John Terry is still out with a broken foot and creates a big hole in the Villa defense. Owner Tony Xia tweeted that the injury likely means a “8-10 weeks absence.”
- Jonathan Kodjia was left out of the Ivory Coast squad and is still recovering. Gabby Agbonlahor is said to be nearing full health.
- Keinan Davis has signed a new contract.
- Newcastle outcast Mohamed Diamé is rumored to be interested in joining Villa in January.
- Hey! A former Aston Villa Manager actually got another job -- Remi Garde will lead Montreal Impact in MLS.
- Mile Jedinak is a hat-trick hero.
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October/November: Mixed Bag
Oct 14 — Wolves 2 - 0 Aston Villa
Oct 21 — Aston Villa 2 - 1 Fulham
Oct 29 — Birmingham 0 - 0 Aston Villa
Nov 1 — Preston 0 - 2 Aston Villa
Nov 4 — Aston Villa 1 - 2 Sheff Wed
Table Watch
| # | Club | Points | Wins | Draws | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Club | Points | Wins | Draws | Losses |
| 1 | Wolves | 35 | 11 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Sheff Utd | 33 | 11 | 0 | 5 |
| 3 | Cardiff City | 31 | 9 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | Bristol City | 30 | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | 26 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 26 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| 7 | Derby County | 25 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| 8 | Ipswich Town | 24 | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 9 | Nottm Forest | 24 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 23 | 7 | 2 | 7 |
November: Chance to give thanks (hopefully)
Nov 18 — QPR v Aston Villa
Nov 21 — Aston Villa v Sunderland
Nov 25 — Aston Villa v Ipswich
Three winnable matches in eight days means the whole of the team is going to be put to the test — but with a chance to push on. All three opponents are below Villa in the table. Steve Bruce needs to be smart about play time especially for those travelling a long distance for international matches (looking at you Mile Jedinak).
Sean Evans dug into the rest of the matches for 2017 — check it out. I’ll be back come December when Aston Villa have six matches.