Konsa not surprised by Villa’s position in Champions League standings

Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa believes it is no “surprise” that the team is in the top eight of the Champions League ahead of their clash in Monaco on Tuesday.

Villa sit fifth in the new 36-team standings with 13 points from six games, their first appearance in a major European tournament since the 1982-83 season.

Unai Emery's team already recorded victories over Bundesliga duo Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in the competition phase, while Juventus was also held to a goalless draw.

Only Atalanta (nine), Liverpool (nine) and Feyenoord (seven) have achieved more points in away Champions League matches so far this season than the Villans (six).

They have at least secured a place in the play-offs and will next play Monaco, hoping to put themselves in a strong position for automatic qualification heading into the final match.

“It's great [our position]. When we found out which teams we would be playing, we knew it would be difficult,” Konsa said.

“We are a team that believes in ourselves, especially with the manager we have.

“He put so much trust in us. Every game we were confident we would win, no matter who we were up against.

“I wouldn't say it's a surprise [we are up there]. We are a great team and I think we have proven that. Long may we continue to do so.”

Villa arrive at the Stade Louis-II with confidence after a two-goal draw against Arsenal in their last Premier League match.

And Emery will be positive about getting all three points against a side he enjoyed particular success against during his time as Paris Saint-Germain manager.

He has won each of his last six games against Monaco in all competitions (all with PSG), with the aggregate score of those games being 23-4.

His last match against them was a 7-1 win in a Ligue 1 match in April 2018, although a similar result seems unlikely this time around.

Villa are winless in their four away games against French sides in Europe (D2 L2), the most recent of which came last season, in a defeat to Lille in the Conference League (1-2 in the quarter-final, second leg in April).