Dutch journalist shares what Aston Villa fans can expect vs minnows Go Ahead Eagles in Europa League
Aston Villa travel to Go Ahead Eagles for their third Europa League phase match on Thursday.
Another trip to the Netherlands is on the cards, following Villa’s 2-0 win over Feyenoord in their last European match.
Having beaten Bologna at Villa Park in their first match, Aston Villa have a huge opportunity to boost their chances of finishing in the top eight, as they currently sit third in the table.
But who are Go Ahead Eagles, and what can Villa fans expect from their opponents?
Go Ahead Eagles likely to sit back vs Aston Villa
Whilst Villa are favourites to win the Europa League, Go Ahead are simply enjoying the ride in Europe.
Go Ahead are based in Deventer, a city on the eastern side of the Netherlands, and they famously ended their 92-year trophy drought by winning the KNVB Cup last season.
This earned them a place in the Europa League, and they’ve so far lost to FSCB and beaten Panathinaikos in their first two matches.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Dutch football journalist and Go Ahead Eagles expert Sander Janssen gave an insight into how manager Melvin Boel might play against Villa.
He said: “Boel plays in a 4-2-3-1 system, and in pre-season, he wanted to experiment with pressing high on the opposition, yet he simply doesn’t have the players to do so.
“Maybe Boel will bluff a little bit and put Villa under pressure in the first minutes at home, hoping to get the support of the supporters.
“But he is also realistic: he knows Villa has much better players than Go Ahead, so pressing them isn’t the wisest thing to do.”
Having just suffered a 2-1 loss to PSV on Saturday, Go Ahead will be looking to produce a scalp this time around against Villa.
Go Ahead Eagles thrive off their underdog status
Go Ahead were promoted to the Eredivisie in 2021, and have gone from strength to strength ever since.
In 2023-24, they played Europa Conference League football, securing European qualification against all the odds.
Aston Villa are clearly the favourites to beat Go Ahead, yet that won’t stop the Dutch side from trying to make history yet again.
| Stat | Go Ahead Eagles |
| Games played | 9 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Draws | 4 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Points | 10 |
| League position | 12th |
Janssen said: “The biggest advantage Go Ahead have is that nobody expects anything from them against most teams.
“Go Ahead beat PSV twice last year, and they played very well against Ajax and Feyenoord. They beat AZ in the cup final, so if there’s something Go Ahead proved in recent years, it’s that they can beat anyone if they’re the underdog.“
Villa travel to the Netherlands in fine form, yet they’ll face a raucous atmosphere at De Adelaarshorst.
The atmosphere at De Adelaarshorst will be incredible
De Adelaarshorst, which translates to ‘The Eagles Nest’, has a capacity of only 10,400, yet it will be a tough place to go and pick up three points.
Janssen added: “It’s a small stadium, but very well known in the Netherlands because of its atmosphere. I think it will feel quite familiar for Villa, because Go Ahead wants to be known for its English atmosphere.
“Their stadium is in the middle of a neighbourhood, with stands close to the pitch. It’s a very cosy, but also energetic and fiery stadium.”
Villa have already shown they can pick up big wins away from home this season, and Unai Emery’s side will need to be switched on against this spirited Go Ahead side.
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