The best blog posts on all things Aston Villa – the true claret and blues
If you’d asked me at the beginning of the season if top four and Conference League champions were possible, I’d have thought that was a bridge too far. Too many games, too little depth. But now it’s truly on offer and would arguably be Villa’s greatest achievement overall in four decades.
It’s City, finally, and a funny time to be playing them given their recent form and the 3-3 draw with Spurs. They’re not at their best and they need a win, never mind the three points.
For Villa, it’s inevitably going to be seen as a referendum on both our aspirations and quality. Anytime you’re an outsider dancing around the top 4, well, there are going to be questions until you notch a signal victory. Is tonight the night?
Legia have become Villa’s clear rivals to top the group. Winning the group isn’t everything, but it does avoid an extra high-stakes fixture and minutes on the players’ legs. Legia of course shocked Villa in Warsaw, and have proven to be a tough, disciplined outfit.
Villa travel to London a little banged up from international duties for what is turning out to be a fairly significant match at this point in the season. After today’s results, Villa could leapfrog Spurs into fourth, just two points off the top.
Off the flat showing at the City Ground, Villa are back home to host AZ Alkmaar in their return fixture. Emery’s made a few changes to freshen things up a bit and rotate. In come Carlos, Lenglet, Tielemans, and Bailey. Duran is back on the bench. Will AZ pose a tougher test than two weeks ago?
