John McGinn makes a ‘bold’ Champions League claim ahead of Club Brugge clash
John McGinn has delivered a bold claim about Aston Villa’s Champions League aspirations ahead of their clash with Club Brugge on Tuesday.
Aston Villa have showcased immense quality under Unai Emery and are regularly knocking on the doors of top four and top six in the Premier League. Last season, the Claret and Blue finished fourth in the Premier League, earning themselves a Champions League spot for this season.
In the group phase, Villa finished eighth in the table with 16 points, qualifying directly for the round of 16 ahead of the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and PSG, avoiding the play-off round.
Aston Villa’s only two losses in the group phase came against AS Monaco and Club Brugge. Now, Emery’s men are ready to take on Brugge in the round of 16, eyeing revenge for a league-phase defeat.
McGinn sees Aston Villa as one of the favourites for Champions League
Although Villa are struggling slightly in the Premier League, sitting 10th in the Premier League with 42 points, they are excelling in the FA Cup as well as the Champions League.
The West Midlands club will take on Preston North End in the FA Cup quarter-finals later this month but their focus currently is to get past Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Emery’s side lost 1-0 to Brugge in November. Almost four months later, these two sides will lock horns once again, this time over a two-legged affair.
In a competition where the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and other heavyweights fight for the ultimate crown, seldom would consider Aston Villa as contenders to win the tournament.
| Match Against | Home/Away |
| Club Brugge | Away |
| Brentford | Away |
| Club Brugge | Home |
| Preston North End | Away |
| Brighton | Away |
However, the Claret and Blue captain, McGinn has made a bold claim about Villa’s Champions League chances.
Speaking to RTE ahead of the Champions League clash, McGinn insists that Villa could do something special in the European competition.
“Of course, we’re in the competitions, we are contenders to win every competition we’re in,” said the 30-year-old. “In certain competitions we are more fancied than others.
“But of course, being in the competition, we are contenders, and going towards the end of the season, it’s brilliant that we’ve got so much to look forward to. We’ve got an opportunity to make some history, but (there’s) a long, long way to go in each competition.
“There’s been a big inconsistency about us this season, so hopefully towards the end of the season we start to click more consistently, and we can do something special. So as I said we are probably not favourites, but we are contenders.”
Villa loanees firing in the attack
Villa brought Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio on loan in the January transfer window. The duo has instantly hit the ground running and have been elevating the team’s performance in attack.
On loan from Manchester United, Rashford has given a strong statement to his critics with his performances in the Villa shirt. Playing six games, the Englishman has assisted three goals, while looking lethal in the attack.
Asensio, on the other hand, has supported Villa’s attack with goals. The Spaniard has scored two match-winning braces in six games providing much-needed goalscoring support. His solid performances have prompted ideas of the English club signing the 30-year-old permanently from PSG.