Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Will Unwin

Why Aston Villa are all set to salvage the Premier League’s rough European week

Aston Villa’s Victor Lindeløf in a training session on Wednesday
Aston Villa’s Victor Lindeløf in a training session on Wednesday. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

SEÑOR FLORERO GRANDE’S TIME TO SHINE

After Aston Villa shocked the world last week by doing the unthinkable as an English team by winning away in Europe, on Thursday they have the chance of following that up by securing a place in the last eight of the Europa League. The road to Istanbul is paved with claret because they have Unai Emery at the helm, a man who knows a thing or two about winning a second tier competition. Mr Big Vase, or Señor Florero Grande, as he’s known in Spain, has won the competition four times, three with Sevilla and once with Villarreal. He failed to do so with Arsenal for a simple reason: their name does not include V-I-L-L-A, which was surely his downfall and why they lost to Chelsea in the 2019 final.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.