Alan Hutton reacts to controversy surrounding Aston Villa clash v Olympiacos in Athens
Alan Hutton has admitted he “would be worried” after new controversy emerged ahead of the showdown between Aston Villa and Olympiacos in Athens.
Emery’s side make the trip to Greece for the second leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday (9 May) as they look to overturn a two-goal deficit having lost 4-2 in the first leg in a disappointing showing.
The match will be officiated by Felix Zwyer who is ranked in UEFA’s elite category of referees, but he has had a mixed history having been slammed by Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham and was even handed a six-month ban having been caught in a match-fixing scandal in Germany [The Telegraph, 7 May].
While Hutton admits this revelation could well worry a few players in the Villans’ changing room, he believes that with the current television coverage and VAR, this sort of incident will not occur in Thursday night’s match.
“Oh don’t start, I would be worried if that’s true,” Hutton told Villa News.
“I don’t know, I’ve not heard anything or read anything about it but I would hope that wouldn’t be the case. I would need to look into it to see what has happened or gone on, but you’d like to think it would be straight down the middle, call it as you see it and not have to worry about it.
“Nowadays with all the cameras and the VAR and everybody that is there, you can’t get away with stuff like that in my opinion, I would hope not.
“I don’t want to go down that route, I hope everything is fair and honest and that we just get a good game.”
Has the referee for Aston Villa v Olympiacos been caught match-fixing previously?
There will quite obviously be plenty of eyes on Zwyer during Thursday night’s game and should the officials make any questionable calls, some supporters will certainly suggest that the referee isn’t fit to take control of this fixture.
But Villa just have to ensure that they take matters out of the official’s hands. Emery’s side has shown already this season that they are more than capable of beating anyone and everyone they will face in the Premier League or Europe.
If they get anywhere near the standard they showed against Arsenal only a matter of weeks ago at the Emirates, they will be able to overturn this two-goal deficit without any hassle.
For that to happen they will need the likes of Ollie Watkins and Douglas Luiz to be back to their best, especially now that a number of excellent stars have been ruled out with injury. So much is up for grabs and Villa cannot let it slip.
In other Aston Villa news, the terms have been mooted for Villa to complete a permanent transfer for Leeds’ Crysencio Summerville
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.