Feyenoord v Aston Villa: Emery’s Lions Head to De Kuip
Right then, here we go again—another European night, another chance for Villa to show we mean business on the continental stage. Thursday sees Villa jet off to Rotterdam to lock horns with Feyenoord at their fortress, De Kuip, in what promises to be an interesting test.
Embed from Getty ImagesVilla arrive in improved form, having seen off Fulham at the weekend with a tidy 3-1 win at Villa Park. That result capped off an unbeaten (ish) September and gave us a bit of momentum heading into this one. Add to that the gritty 1-0 victory over Bologna in our Europa League opener—cheers to Super John McGinn for that —and you’ve got a side starting to find its rhythm.
But let’s not kid ourselves. Feyenoord aren’t here to make up the numbers. They’re flying in the Eredivisie, top of the pile with six wins from seven, and they’ve made De Kuip a bit of a fortress—four wins on the bounce at home, conceding just once. They might’ve stumbled against Braga in their first group game, but you can bet they’ll be fired up to put that right.
Robin van Persie’s team play with a swagger, and they’ll fancy their chances against a Villa side that’s still ironing out the creases away from home. Since April, we’ve only managed one win on the road outside the Midlands, so Emery will be demanding a sharper showing this time round.
Still, if there’s one man who knows how to navigate European ties, it’s Unai Emery. Four Europa League titles to his name, and he’s got us dreaming big once again. After reaching the Champions League quarters last season and the Conference League semis the year before, we can’t just here for the ride—we must be here for silverware. It’s a proper European tie, and if Villa can nick something in Rotterdam, it’ll be a massive statement.