Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Tue 30 September 2025 22:43, UK

Aston Villa can maintain a historic record when they take on Feyenoord in the Europa League on Thursday.

Unai Emery has been under huge pressure at Villa, but should his side emerge victorious, they will have won three consecutive games across all competitions.

The first of which, came when the Villans narrowly beat Bologna at Villa Park last week to kick off their Europa League campaign.

And Villa beat Fulham 3-1 on Sunday, to earn their first three points in the Premier League this season.

John McGinn is expected to be rested against Feyenoord, after the midfielder was forced off with a slight injury late on against the Cottagers.

Aston Villa have strong record against Dutch teams

Winning the Europa League will be high up on Emery‘s priority list this season, with the Spaniard boasting an incredibly strong history in the competition.

The former Arsenal boss made history by winning the trophy in three consecutive years with Sevilla between 2013 and 2016, and later lifted the trophy with Villarreal, too.

But Emery has never managed to lift the Europa League with a team outside of Spain, coming closest with the Gunners in 2019 when his side lost to Chelsea in the final.

This season will also mark the first time Emery has competed in the updated format of European competition.

The change should, in theory, give Villa a better chance of progressing to the later stages, with Champions League teams no longer dropping down.

Last week’s win over Bologna marked a great start to the league stage and Villa will be confident for the trip to Feyenoord, given their history against teams from the Netherlands.

In five games against Dutch teams, the Villans have never lost, winning four times and drawing once.

• Read more: Feyenoord vs Aston Villa: Three stars who have played for both ahead of Europa League clash

Gareth Barry winner gave Villa first win over Dutch opponents

Four of Villa’s games against opponents from the Netherlands came in the 2023-24 season, in which they beat AZ Alkmaar twice in the group stage, before winning and drawing against Ajax in the round of 16.

The other game also came against Ajax in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup – the previous name for the Europa League.

Villa would win 2-1 at Villa Park against a team that included the likes of Luis Suarez and Thomas Vermaelen, with Gareth Barry finding the winner from Ashley Young’s cross on the stroke of half-time.

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