Previews of Aston Villa matches, both competitive and non-competitive
Europe comes to Villa Park again tonight with Bosnian side HSK Zrinjski (or Zrinjski Mostar). Like Legia Warsaw they’re off to a good start in their league play and came back dramatically to beat AZ Alkmaar 4-3 in their first group-stage match.
Emery has targeted some kind of success this season, but the Carabao has to be fourth on his list of four priorities.
Now the reality of Europe begins to set in: Between Saturday’s late comeback win against Palace and a visit to Stamford Bridge and struggling Chelsea Sunday, Villa are in Warsaw as the group stage of the Conference League kicks off.
Not since the days of Martin O’Neill have Villa been in Europe, and tonight that indignity comes to an end as Villa travel to Easter Road for the first Conference League playoff leg against Hibernian.
So here we are, start of a new season, and this one’s full of hopes and expectations. Me, I’m cautiously optimistic. Which is probably what I’ll have put on my gravestone. As Emi Buendia’s injury illustrates, football can be cruel no matter how well you look to be set up. But. Emi’s only one player and Emery’s reaction has been excellent. Villa were never going to live or die based solely on Buendia.
