Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has his sights set on adding another European trophy to his impressive collection as his side prepares for the second leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final tie against French Ligue 1 club Lille.
Villa take a narrow 2-1 lead into the return fixture in France following last week’s gutsy first leg victory at Villa Park. Ollie Watkins’ first-half header and a spectacular long-range strike from John McGinn gave the hosts a commanding 2-0 advantage, only for Bafode Diakite to halve the deficit late on for Lille with an important away goal.
Aston Villa’s head coach, Unai Emery, has made a bold statement with his team selection for today’s highly anticipated Premier League clash against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. In a move that has caught many by surprise, Emery has opted to make two changes to the side that secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Lille in the Europa Conference League just three days ago.
The headlines will undoubtedly revolve around the inclusions of the exciting duo, Nicolo Zaniolo and Moussa Diaby, who have been handed starts in place of the suspended Douglas Luiz and the benched Leon Bailey.
As the European campaign intensifies, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has emphatically shut down any potential distractions surrounding his side’s forthcoming Premier League clash against former employers Arsenal. With Villa readying for their Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg against French outfit Lille, Emery’s singular focus lies squarely on progressing in the continent’s third-tier competition.
“No way,” the Spaniard asserted when questioned if the Arsenal fixture could influence his team selection for Thursday’s European tie.
