Unai Emery will not be satisfied until Aston Villa becomes regular Champions League-Championships when they are on the edge of the quarterfinals.
As long as Villa does not lose more than one goal to be in Clubbrugge on Wednesday, they will be guaranteed to be given a place in the last eight of Europe's main club competition.
When Emery took the lead over the villa in the fall of 2023, they risked the relegation zone to slide into the relegation zone. In less than two years, the Basque Hen had led to a top four finish, and now fans of a repeat of 1982 are dreaming when Villa lifted the European Cup.
“Playing in this Champions League has been fantastic, but my goal is to try to play consistently in the Champions League,” Emery said. 'Staying at this level is difficult. This is the challenge I have.
'I know where the club was after they won the European Cup. For a long time they were not due to the demands we now make in the club. Of course everything we do now is important. But I want more. '
Villa led 3-1 after the first stage in Belgium and Emery is expected to restore EMI Martinez to goal, after the Argentina star had missed the 1-0 win in Brentford last weekend with a tight hamstring. Marco Asensio, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, also returns to the team that has also been the last Premier League meeting.
With Villa's wage account at around 96 percent of sales, the progress in the Champions League – and continuous qualification for that – is essential for the club to match Emery's ambitions.
Emery added: 'Everything we achieve is because we have new ways and new requirements – starting with the owners, the club and everything we are trying to determine.
'When I arrived, my goal was to compete for trophies and to be eligible for Europe, which we managed in each of the first two seasons. We have our vision on how we want to increase our level and achieve different things. '
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