Aston Villa are within the Champions League knockout rounds for the primary time since lifting the trophy in 1982. Their reward is a tie towards Membership Brugge, a workforce they’ve already confronted this season.
This can be a uncommon alternative for Villa to make their mark in Europe’s elite competitors. They secured a top-eight end within the new Champions League league section and now face a facet that hardly made it by.
Brugge, runners-up within the 1978 European Cup, are within the final 16 for less than the second time. They edged into the knockouts on aim distinction and shocked Atalanta BC within the playoffs. Their energy at dwelling is obvious, with only one defeat in 17 video games at Jan Breydelstadion.
Villa know this first-hand. When the groups met in November, Unai Emery’s facet suffered a irritating 1-0 defeat after a lapse in focus led to a decisive penalty. .
“We analysed the match we performed right here they usually performed incredible soccer, however we didn’t compete like I need to do,” Emery stated. “To be constant, competing is a very powerful.”
Regardless of that setback, Villa recovered to safe a top-eight spot with a dramatic 4-2 win over Celtic. Their marketing campaign has proven glimpses of a facet able to making a deep run.
Emery is not any stranger to knockout soccer, having reached this stage with three completely different golf equipment earlier than. He believes Villa’s energy will come from their construction reasonably than particular person brilliance.
“We aren’t going to get our goal solely by particular person gamers or abilities,” he stated. “We’re going to get our goal collectively, constructing our construction as sturdy as potential.”
Villa’s greatest concern stays their away type. They’ve misplaced 9 of their final 12 matches on the street, a development that should change if they’re to progress.
They’ve, nonetheless, been almost unbeatable at dwelling, shedding simply twice of their final 23 matches. Emery will goal to maintain issues tight in Belgium earlier than pushing for victory in Birmingham.
This tie presents an actual likelihood for Villa to achieve the quarter-finals. If they’ll overcome their away struggles, they might take one other vital step of their European journey.
