Aston Villa fans ‘in shock’ after bold Robbie Savage Champions League claim
Aston Villa’s Champions League dream is asbolutely alive and kicking after a brilliant 3-1 at Club Brugge on Tuesday.
Leon Bailey and Marco Asensio scored for Villa to sandwich an own goal from Brandon Mechele to round out a truly memorable evening in Belgium on Tuesday.
Unai Emery is a serial winner in European competition, collecting four trophies in spells with Sevilla and Villarreal in Spain.
And the doubters are turning to believers as Villa look to achieve what would be one of the most memorable achievements in European football history.
Robbie Savage an unlikely Aston Villa ally in Champions League quest
Supporters will be in shock to have one unlikely backer in the form of ex-Birmingham City favourite Robbie Savage, though.
If Villa complete the job against Brugge then a daunting last-eight clash will be on the horizon against either Premier League rivals Liverpool or Paris Saint-Germain.
Savage conceded that those on the outside looking in will ponder whether Villa will have the depth in their squad to compete against two of Europe’s biggest heavyweights.
| Opponent | Home or away |
| Brentford (Premier League) | Away |
| Club Brugge (Champions League) | Home |
| Preston (FA Cup) | Away |
| Brighton (Premier League) | Away |
But the BBC Sport pundit and Macclesfield Town manager accepted that there is a wealth of talent in the his Villans squad too and boldly claimed Emery’s charges can lift the Champions League trophy at the Allianz Arena on 31 May.
Writing in the Daily Mirror’s print edition (8 March, page 67), he opined: “Aston Villa can come out from under the radar now – we can see you there, blinking in the middle of our screens. Coach Unai Emery has won four trophies in Europa as a manager with Sevilla and Villarreal and we cannot discount Villa presenting him with a fifth.
“As things stand, they are on course for a quarter-final with Liverpool – the full English. It’s tempting to think VIlla’s squad may be too thin to cope with the Reds or Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight. But then I think of their attacking options – Morgan Rogers, Marco Asensio, Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins, Jacob Ramsey – and the penny drops. Villa have got a chance.”
Aston Villa European form belies Premier League inconsistency
Aston Villa‘s form in the Premier League this season has been patchy, perhaps understandably so given the fact they have had to mix domestic duties with the Champions League.
They currently sit 10th in the table but only four points adrift of fifth, which could be enough to find a route back to Europe’s top table if they don’t win the competition, in an absolutely stacked table.
But there is still plenty to play for this season. Villa face Preston in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, just one game from a Wembley semi-final, and they have proven to be more than a match for Europe’s elite in the Champions League.
There is absolutely nothing for them to fear in world football’s most prestigious club competition and other teams will certainly not fancy tackling a fired-up Villa Park.
It will still need a lot of stars to align, but the same could be said for any of the other sides, you need a lot of things to fall into place to win Europe’s biggest prize. Why shouldn’t they align for Villa?