Aston Villa return to Europa League action on Thursday when they face Istanbul giants Fenerbahçe in their penultimate league phase match.
Villa have won five out of their previous six Europa League matches and sit in third place in the competition’s single league phase table, level on points with Lyon and Midtjylland above them. A top eight place would take Villa straight to the round of 16. Finishing in the top two offers home advantage for the duration. Unai Emery would dearly love to top the lot.
The Villa manager stressed in his programme notes the importance of last Sunday’s Premier League match against Everton. This one matters too. Villa aren’t going to be knocked out of the Europa League in the league phase whatever happens in the next two matches but they have the chance to lay the groundwork for the latter stages by winning in Istanbul.
Diego Carlos left Fenerbahçe on loan in the summer but there are two former Villans in Domenico Tedesco’s squad and both of them will know exactly how to get at Villa’s back line.
Marco Asensio spent the second half of 2024-25 on loan with Villa and had an impressive impact in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. He joined Fener from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window.
Villa will also be wary of Jhon Durán. The Colombian striker, halfway through a loan from Al Nassr just a year after moving to Saudi Arabia from Villa, saw his red card suspension bizarrely reduced by UEFA and will be eligible to face his former club on Thursday.
Emery and his team will know exactly what he can do but also what makes him tick and indeed what makes him ticked off. Durán can be got at, for sure, though there’s always a fine line to be walked when it comes to winding up talented players.
Is it written that he will be the catalyst for a Fenerbahçe win? Only time will tell.
Emery’s injury problems are no worse than other Premier League managers are facing but Villa’s issues are cruelly concentrated in one specific position. They’re getting worse, too.
We now know that Boubacar Kamara is likely to be out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, while Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley and now captain John McGinn are out too.
Jadon Sancho missed the Everton game due to illness and should be in contention but there’s no clear timeline yet on the involvement of new signing Alysson and loan returnee Leon Bailey, who are not part of the Europa League squad.
Emiliano Martínez didn’t travel, so at least we can go through another game without his nonsense. Marco Bizot will deputise.
Villa would and maybe will be weakened by that but there are no real choices to be made in the middle of the park or in the striker position. The short list of players available there highlight very clearly the Villa’s most pressing needs in the January transfer window.
There’s a decision to be made in between those positions and it could be a straight choice between Sancho and Evann Guessand, who came on for McGinn against Everton last weekend.
Villa’s away game against Fenerbahçe will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+ in the UK.
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