Aston Villa manager Unai Emery wants his side to win their opening Champions League game against Young Boys on Tuesday in memory of the club's European Cup winner Gary Shaw. The former striker Shaw, who died on Monday at the age of 63, was in the Villa team that triumphed in the competition back in 1982. Tuesday evening marks their return to Europe's top-tier club competition for the first time in 41 years, and Emery feels a win would be the perfect tribute to Shaw.
"My condolences to the family and all the supporters at Villa," he said. "We have a memory always, in our training ground a picture of 1982 and the European Cup, he was a protagonist of that. My condolences to them. I think it's sad and we can use it as motivation."
The Wankdorf Stadium in Bern has an artificial surface, and Emery has tweaked Villa's training plans for the game against the Swiss champions to ensure they are well prepared for it. "We are going to adapt," he added. "We changed a little bit our usual way for playing in Europe. Normally we have a training session in Birmingham and travel. But we decided to come to train here, to know and to adapt for the synthetic pitch. We're ready and we won't use it as an excuse. I think we can play with the same personality like we do at home."
Champions League History and First Match Preview
This will be the first ever meeting between Young Boys and Aston Villa. Swiss sides have only won seven of the previous 24 meetings with English sides in the UEFA Champions League (D6 L11), while six of those seven victories were achieved by Basel (one by Young Boys). Young Boys have only won one of their previous six games against English opponents in the UEFA Champions League (D1 L4), losing home and away to Manchester City in the competition last season. Their only victory over an English side came in September 2021, winning 2-1 at home to Manchester United.
Aston Villa will become the 11th different English club to compete in the UEFA Champions League, and the first English newcomer since Leicester City in 2016-17 (won 3-0 in their first game versus Club Brugge). This will be Aston Villa’s first game in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League since March 1983, when they were beaten over two legs by Juventus in the 1982-83 quarter-final (1-2 at home in the first leg, 1-3 in the second leg away).
Key Players and Team News
As Unai Emery prepares to lead his sixth different team into the Champions League, he’ll have most of his key players fit and ready for Tuesday’s clash. However, both Leon Bailey (hamstring) and Matty Cash (thigh) are set to miss out on the action. Though long-term absentees Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara have returned to team training, they’re still not match-fit, and Jaden Philogene continues his journey toward full recovery.
One area where Emery could shuffle the deck is at full-back, with both Kosta Nedeljkovic and Ian Maatsen pushing for starting spots. Up front, Ollie Watkins showcased his scoring touch with five goals in last season's Conference League, while Jhon Duran has emerged as a reliable backup. Although Duran has only started three Premier League games since arriving in England, he’s made quite an impact off the bench, with seven of his goals coming as a substitute – and impressively, all three this season have been match-winners.
A New Era for Aston Villa
Youri Tielemans says Aston Villa "don't only want to participate" in the Champions League and are looking to "really make our mark" in their return to the competition. "We achieved something really good last season and now we're here playing Champions League," the midfielder said in the pre-match news conference. "We're really excited to get going. There's always been an ambitious plan before I signed and that's why I bought into it and came to Aston Villa. We've had some really good performances last year and now we're here and we'll try to make the most of it."
"We don't only want to participate in this, we want to really make our mark in this competition. We've got some really big games and tomorrow will be the start of that. With the new format every game is really important with the points system. We want to make the most of it and hopefully we can get a win here but it will be really difficult."
Villa will be the sixth different team manager Unai Emery has managed in the Champions League and Tielemans believes the Spaniards' experience will be key if they are to progress in the competition. "Very important," he added. "He [Emery] has changed a fair bit since he's been at the club and personally he's improved me a lot as a player and as a man. I understand the game even better than before. We saw last year so many times how important he was with his tactical tweaks. He's going to be massive for us."
Looking Ahead: A New Chapter
With a blend of experience and ambition, Aston Villa are poised to make their mark on the Champions League stage. The team's return to Europe's elite competition signifies a new chapter in their journey. As they step onto the field, they carry with them the legacy of Gary Shaw and the determination to etch their name in the history of the Champions League.
The journey is just beginning, and the world is watching. Aston Villa is back, and they are ready to fight for their place among the best.
