- Aston Villa take a 3-1 lead into the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final
- Unai Emery insists his teams must be “focused 100%” to get the job done at Villa Park
- The game kicks off at 20:00 UK time this evening
Unai Emery has emphasised that despite Aston Villa’s 3-1 lead, his team cannot afford a moment of complacency against Bologna in their second leg of the Europa League quarter-final at Villa Park.
During the first leg of the European clash against Bologna, Aston Villa found themselves under significant duress as the Italian side dictated much of the early proceedings.
The visitors were arguably unfortunate not to claim the lead, specifically in the 26th minute when a potential opener was ultimately disallowed.
Villa’s backline was forced into a dogged defensive display to weather the storm, particularly struggling to contain the threat of Jonathan Rowe, whose standout performance kept the home side on constant high alert.
Knowing the threat they possess, in his pre-match press conference, Emery believes Bologna deserves “respect” after the way they have played in the past few years.
“We are in the quarter-final second leg, and we had a good result, but this is a team (Bologna) that, when analysing them, watching their experience and their coach’s career playing in three finals the last three years, the respect is massive.
“They deserve this respect. When they were playing against Roma, maybe we could think that Roma was the favourite, and they beat the favourite.
“How they are competing, how they are as a team in their style and idea, how they are pushing in all their matches, we are so, so respectful. I am a coach with my own experiences, and we must play the second leg tomorrow, analysing everything we did there, understanding that tomorrow is in Villa Park.
“How we must adapt to them here, and there is the same because they are going to play the same match: so, so intense, aggressive, getting duels, man-to-man, and attacking us.
“When the referee’s whistle, the first minute starts, we’re going to be focused 100% because we will fight tomorrow more than we did (in the first leg).”
Villa started slowly in the first leg, and were quite lucky to have carried a two-goal cushion into tonight’s fixture. However, they got the job done.
Being at home will give them a significant boost, as there is no better atmosphere than playing under the lights at Villa Park.
Crucial first goal?
The first goal is bound to be crucial, as it will decide which team will have the momentum. An early opener by Bologna will create a nervy atmosphere around Villa Park, and pressure will start to mount on the players.
Emery spoke about how Villa will ready no matter what happens, and whether the first goal is important.
“Maybe not, if we are not scoring or they are not scoring.
“We are ready to start winning or to start losing (at the beginning of the game). We are ready. I expect the players as well they have my message, (to) keep the game plan tomorrow, extending the first leg we played.
“How we scored the third goal was really fantastic and important, but they can score one goal in one moment. We must be ready for it.”
Bologna have nothing to lose, so they will throw absolutely everything at Villa to try and turn the deficit around. If the Villans want to progress through to the semi-finals, then they cannot afford to be complacent and must be ready for a fight.
