Aston Villa

Liverpool's unexpected defeat by Atalanta on Thursday, coupled with West Ham's late reverse at Bayer Leverkusen, has damaged England's hopes of securing a fifth Champions League spot next season.

Both England and Germany gained two co-efficient points on the night, thanks to victories for Aston Villa and Leverkusen.

However, Germany's points are worth slightly more as they are divided by seven – the number of Bundesliga teams in Europe this season – rather than England's eight.

So, Germany remain in second spot in the overall table on 16.785, just ahead of England on 16.75.

Additional points are awarded for qualification as well as match results, so Arsenal and West Ham's second legs against German opposition next week are going to be crucial.

With five points on Thursday, from two wins and a draw, Italy has now moved clear at the top with 18.428 and are now virtually certain to get one of the two additional places in next season's Champions League.

Roma, fifth in Serie A, are in line to profit, although it also benefits surprise challengers Bologna, who are fourth.

Napoli will not take up the option to turn midfielder Leander Dendoncker's loan from Aston Villa into a permanent deal. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Former Aston Villa striker Garry Thompson speaking on BBC Radio WM: "They say your big players step forward at the right times on the big occasions.

"This isn't the big occasion, this is just the quarter-final, but we needed Emi Martinez to step up tonight and he did.

"He doesn't have an awful lot to do some games because Villa keep hold of possession really well but there were three or four times today he made some really good saves, some good blocks, made himself big. He has kept us in the game. If Lille had got the goals they could have done then it could have been 5-1 to Lille.

"You can rely on Villa when they know they really have to produce something and step forward they generally do. The Arsenal game at the weekend I think they will be competitive and this game – even if it was 2-0 – you knew they would have a game on their hands next week and I think they will step up.

"Lille have to take the game to them, they'll have 55,000 people behind them who will expect their side to produce a performance and take the game to Aston Villa. They are 2-1 down, they are still in the competition and all we need is an Aston Villa goal to quieten everyone down. This is not over at 2-1."

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Aston Villa boss Unai Emery speaking to TNT Sports: "Difficult match, very tough match. A tight result and a tight match.

"We created chances, we conceded some chances. We took advantage today and we knew before the match it was going to be difficult.

"Now again we have to be ready there to play 90 minutes and even extra-time and penalty shootout even because we know now every match that we are playing is difficult.

"It's very important to try to control set pieces in games offensively and defensively. We have to try to be stronger in our structure because they [Lille] were sometimes threatening us more than we wanted.

"It's a good result because we won today. We know it is going to be difficult there but we have to try to get again our position on the pitch, understanding how we play today."

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Aston Villa sealed a narrow advantage over Lille in the first leg of their Europa Conference League tie.

Ollie Watkins led from the front once more as he opened the scoring at Villa Park, heading in from a John McGinn corner.

Watkins has now scored 25 goals in all competitions for Villa this season and continues to make his case to be part of Gareth Southgate's squad for the Euros this summer.

Unai Emery, marking his 1,000th game as a manager, will be disappointed that Villa failed to keep a clean sheet after they conceded with six minutes remaining when Bafode Diakite flicked in a header from Angel Gomes' cross.

However, Villa are in control of the tie as they look to win their first European trophy since 1982.

Before the second leg next Thursday (17:45 BST), it is just the small matter of a trip to the Emirates to face title-chasing Arsenal.

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Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins speaking to TNT Sports: "Going into each game I feel confident. I have a belief that I'm going to score and the team are going to play well.

"We have a game plan and we stick to it no matter what. It was important that we won the game and then go into the second leg a goal up. It feels like a lot of hard work has been put in."

On not scoring more goals: "Little bit disappointing to have conceded at the end, gives them [Lille] a little bit of belief going into the second leg. We could have been a bit more clinical in the final third. We've had a lot of opportunities and 2-1 is a bit disappointing, I think it should have been three or four."

On the support from the fans: "It's nice to hear your name being sung by the fans. I just try to repay them by scoring goals but when I'm not doing that I'm always working hard. That's the number one thing when I go on the pitch to make sure nobody can question my mentality and my work rate and then the goals will come so just enjoy."

Goals from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn gave Aston Villa a narrow first-leg lead over Lille in their Europa Conference League quarter-final as Unai Emery marked his 1,000th game as a manager.

Watkins scored in the 13th minute, left unmarked in the box to head in from a McGinn corner.

Leon Bailey played the ball to McGinn from a corner and he doubled the lead with a fierce strike into the bottom corner shortly before the hour mark.

With six minutes remaining, Lille got a goal back as Bafode Diakite flicked in a header from Angel Gomes' cross.

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There are three Premier League sides in European action on Thursday, with team news in and kick-offs less than an hour away.

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We are midway through another European week and the Premier League's hopes of gaining a fifth place in next season's Champions League have edged closer to reality.

Draws for Arsenal and Manchester City on Tuesday and Borussia Dortmund's defeat on Wednesday means English clubs have gained two points this week so far, with Germany only one.

Those points are then divided by the total number of clubs each country had in Europe this season - eight for England and seven for Germany - and then added to the overall total. It means both countries are level on 16.500, with England ahead on previous performance.

The big winners so far this week are Spain. Victories for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, plus Real Madrid's draw, have given them five points. They also had eight teams in Europe this season, so their overall score has risen by 0.625.

However, they were already a long way back. Even with the additions, it only takes them to 15.062. And they have no more teams in action this week.

In contrast, England has three - West Ham, Liverpool and Aston Villa. Germany only have Bayer Leverkusen.

Italy still leads on 17.714 and they have four teams in action on Thursday.

A win is worth two points and a draw one - extra-time counts but not penalties - with extra points for qualification for the next phase.

Ollie Watkins has to be careful when he throws those comments out around the side lacking a "big-team mentality" because the rest of the team have done so well.

Having been in that top four position and still have a chance of Champions League football in fifth spot, it is a massive turnaround in the club. Yes he is getting goals, but we have seen it before when players have made comments when the team is not doing so well but that player is. He has handled himself well in a lot of things he has done this season, but you just have to be careful how what you say comes across. These things can be spun and it is not always taken the way it was meant to come across.

We were going to expect the kind of inconsistent run Villa have been on recently. They have gone into European competition and that is a big shock to them with the amount of games that they have had. But to have been in that top four position it shows how well they have done and the level of performance they have had, it was always going to be tough to sustain it.

If you look at the other clubs who have miles more resources – Manchester United, Chelsea – Villa look like they are doing great so I would just take it is a big positive. You have to be careful with the criticism, you want to keep everyone firing right to the end of the season.

Even with the knowledge that fifth might be enough for Champions League, you always want to finish as high as you can and they will still want that top four spot. If they can finish in the Champions League spots and do well in the Europa Conference League then it will have been an incredible season.

What Unai Emery has done since he joined is fantastic and I think we will continue to see improvement.

Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

As Aston Villa get ready to face Lille in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals - chasing their first major piece of European silverware in 42 years - how much is their transformation this season down to manager Unai Emery?

Watch The Football News Show's Villa special below...

Watch all available episodes of The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer

Dion Dublin, Villa’s spearhead when they threatened the leaders for a while 25 years ago, probably spoke for many when he applauded the sharp observations made by his successor Ollie Watkins last weekend. "He is right and he is brave to come out and say those points."

Watkins is not often one to seek headlines, generally content to allow his performances on the field to speak for him, which gives his thoughtful words last weekend additional weight.

"Frustrating. We just lack that big-team mentality where they kill games off. I’m not belittling my team, I’m part of it, but we need to somehow figure out when we’re 2-0 up how to shut up shop, and stop them creating chances," the striker said.

His words, unusually direct from a Premier League player and all the more refreshing for that, sum up Villa’s current status – and perhaps that of their direct rivals for fourth place, Tottenham, too.

Either side, on good days, could outplay any of the three contenders for the title – Spurs are unbeaten against them in the League so far this season, Villa have beaten two – but when they crack, they are liable to shatter. Solving that may the last bridge to cross before joining that elite group.

Last Saturday, Villa conceded three times in nine minutes. Almost unbelievably, they have now conceded at least twice in a 10-minute period five times in their last seven League games.

In their video-analysis sessions they will no doubt identify technical causes and individual errors. All true no doubt, but Watkins’ words feel equally relevant. Part of the 'big-game mentality' is to avoid distraction when things go wrong, not allowing tension to escalate. Villa appear, in a sporting sense, prone to suffering from shock.

Watkins, at least, showed that he was feeling sharp again, and he was one of several regulars to return to their usual starting spot. That was timely, but Villa will need every available player in this, the latest week to be correctly called Villa’s biggest week of the season to date.

Having the first leg against Lille at home is not ideal, denying Emery some of the tactical options he deployed effectively, albeit not very attractively, in the first game against Ajax.

There will be rather more responsibility on Villa to set the pace against Lille. Arsenal away three days later will be different again, but preparing for that will have to wait.

Listen to live commentary of Aston Villa v Lille on BBC Radio WM (DAB Black Country) at 20:00 BST on Thursday

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Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries might be a target for Aston Villa and the Italian club would consider an offer of more than 30m euros for the 27-year-old Netherlands international, whose contract with the Serie A club runs out in 2025. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

Aston Villa are growing increasingly hopeful 25-year-old Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz will sign a new long-term contract. (Talksport), external

Shakhtar Donetsk are preparing to sell Ukraine midfielder Georgiy Sudakov, with Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Manchester City interested in the 21-year-old. (HITC), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Michail Antonio and Tom Cairney have been talking about how "priceless" it is to have a player on your side that can buy you some time and win you fouls, and have described John McGann as one of the best at it.

Speaking on the Footballer's Football Podcast Fulham midfielder Cairney said: "John McGinn is good at winning fouls - when he sticks his bum out."

West Ham's Antonio agreed: "McGinn is one of the strongest players in the Premier League."

Antonio added that when McGinn is shielding the ball "nothing is moving him".

Antonio continued: "Mark Noble, he just knows how to buy a foul every single time."

"Grealish is good at it," Cairney added.

They both agreed that having a player that can win free kicks is so valuable in modern day football.

"Especially in the last minutes of the game. Back in the day it wasn't about killing time by doing certain things. It was about getting the ball in the corner and having a little fight," said Antonio.

"Now it's just the small little things where we can buy time."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Aston Villa defender Pau Torres is positive over Aston Villa's chance to pursue both the Europa Conference League and a top-four finish in the Premier League.

The Villains face Lille in the quarter-final of the European competition on Thursday, before travelling to Emirates Stadium to face league leaders Arsenal on Sunday.

Torres said: "We have a really good squad and a really food team. With enough players to play 100 per cent in each game. We are working on it. This week is a hard week, a tough week, but we need to keep fighting.

"It's a really important week for us, this amazing game in Europe and we are going game to game. We are focused on tomorrow."

Having beaten Ajax 4-0 on aggregate in the Round of 16, Thursday's game will be Villa's first appearance in the last eight of a major European competition since 1998 and Torres said: "We need to start well in the first leg with our supporters. We know it will be difficult and we know we need to get a good result to go to France with opportunities."

The 27-year-old joined Villa in July and has made 31 appearances so far this season for the club - despite missing the start of the year with injury.

He said he is "now starting to feel better" since his injury but knows he is going to have to accept the rotation that comes with Villa's busy schedule in the end of the season run-in.

His Villa boss Unai Emery is no stranger to success in Europe having won four Europa Leagues - including three consecutive successes with Sevilla and, more recently, when he won the trophy in 2021 against Manchester United with a Villarreal side which included Torres.

In that 2021 victory, Torres started and scored his penalty in the shootout win in Gdansk and he knows his manager is key to Villa's hopes of chasing European success.

"Unai knows these competitions," he said.

"He knows how to prepare for every game and we know exactly how the opponents are going to play. It's a really good help for us."

Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Aston Villa’s Europa Conference League quarter-final first-leg with Lille on Thursday.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Emery will not let Sunday’s Premier League trip to former club Arsenal influence his team selection on Thursday. He said: “No way, we are speaking about the match tomorrow and we are thinking about the match we are going to play then. It’s not good for us, me or anybody (to think about other games).”

• Asked about his experience in Europe, Emery insisted being able to give his players experience in the competition is crucial: “Firstly we respect the competition and Europe is difficult. It’s good to have the experience we are having in this competition. Sometimes it’s a difficult moment, like losing the first match in Legia Warsaw, or winning in the last minute against Zjrinski. We played two legs against Ajax and it was very good experience for us.”

• On Thursday’s opponents: “Lille is the same (as other teams), respect the competition and respect the opponent. They have experience in Europe. I know the chairman (Olivier Létang), he is very competitive and an experienced man as well. They are focused on this competition. They are fourth in the league and they are focusing and have good players, a good coach – Paulo Fonseca - and they are very competitive and have a tactically very good coach.”

• Matty Cash remains out with a hamstring injury with Clement Lenglet also struggling with a minor problem. Long-term absentees Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia and Boubacar Kamara are progressing but will still not play this season with Jacob Ramsey also out with a toe injury.

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On his first day at Aston Villa, Unai Emery revealed a desire to end the club's trophy drought.

At Villa Park in November 2022 he announced his goal to lift major silverware for the first time since Brian Little's side won the 1996 League Cup.

Fast forward 16 months and he has guided his players to the brink of a return to the big time.

They are four games away from a European final as they prepare for Thursday's Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg against Lille.

Villa are favourites for the title, ahead of Fiorentina and Fenerbahce, and face a real sliding doors momentum in Europe and the Premier League.

Dropping out of the top four for the first time in two months – after Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Brentford - could signal Villa are finally running out of steam in the race for fourth with Tottenham.

Yet, having been overhauled by Spurs in January and February, they recovered both times to return to the top four.

They have not finished higher than fifth since 1997 and, with Champions League football and a European trophy within reach, Villa have their best chance for decades to announce themselves as a serious contender again.

Aston Villa are chasing their first major piece of European silverware in 42 years as they prepare to face Lille in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League, with the club set to be "put on the map" if they win the competition, according to their former midfielder Ian Taylor.

He tells The Football News Show's Ben Croucher how the team have been transformed under Unai Emery and what it is like to play in Europe under the lights at Villa Park, and he recalls the last time Villa reached this stage of a European competition.

Watch the full Aston Villa special on BBC iPlayer

When you looked at Aston Villa's remaining fixtures, you felt that if they could recapture their earlier home form and take care of business against the likes of Brentford, Bournemouth and Chelsea at Villa Park, they would have a good chance of fourth spot in the Premier League.

Surrendering a 2-0 lead in a game where Brentford had barely seen the ball in the first hour left Ollie Watkins saying the team lacked "big-team mentality" in not closing the game out.

Even Unai Emery admitted a rare mistake, taking responsibility for Sergio Reguilon's role in all three Brentford goals, which came from his crosses on the left-hand side.

The nature of the 3-3 draw split the fanbase into two viewpoints. One side was concerned about the club not taking the great opportunity of Champions League qualification and winning the Europa Conference League, while the other sought the comfort blanket of highlighting the progress of potentially finishing higher in the league than last season.

You cannot choose when you qualify for the Champions League, and if you have been in the top four for most of the season, bottling it with six games to go is not exactly an achievement.

Similarly, defeat in a challenging two-leg tie against Lille in the Europa Conference League over the next two weeks would carry few silver linings.

Watkins was right regarding mentality. In these final weeks, it is crucial for both Villa players and supporters to adopt an 'in it to win it' attitude.

After all, opportunities to forge a modern-day legacy are rare, as underscored by Villa's 28-year wait since their last significant silverware.

David Michael can be found on My Old Man Said, external

We asked for your thoughts on Saturday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Brentford.

Here are some of your responses:

Villa fans

Kam: We totally threw away three points. A crazy nine minutes. The slight positive is that a point is better than nothing, and the fact we didn't give up and got the equaliser. It feels like a massive turning point in our season. It is no longer in our hands for the top four but, if we miss out, I just hope that we don't crumble away and that we fight until the last game.

David: We have lost all confidence and rhythm. We switched off to throw away a lead again. Carlos lost his discipline for two of their goals. Konsa is a better centre-back and he should be starting there. Luiz is now out for two games, just to make matters worse. There should be praise for Rogers, who is improving every game, though.

John: Villa's inability to hold on to a 2-0 lead is ridiculous. Leaving Bailey, Pau Torres and Tielemans out against Manchester City, to save them for this game, means nothing if they can't win these type of matches. I can't see fourth happening now, so let's hope fifth is enough for Champions League.

Rob: Watkins' statement [post-match] has hit the nail on the head there. With better game management and mentality against Brentford, in both Manchester United games, and the draw with Sheffield United, imagine where Villa could be. They need to summon those mentality monsters.

Brentford fans

Sue: Brentford have had a poor season through injuries and pundits are quick to forget that clubs like Brentford just don't have the big bucks to pay for players. However, you can't knock their effort in every single game. They don't give up and they haven't had 'lady luck' on their side recently to reap the rewards for it.

George: Say what you want about Brentford - whether a result goes our way or not, we seldom play a boring second half. This game was a fight to the finish, and a little bit after the finish too, with Toney and Collins having a few choice words with each other post-match. We have shown more than enough character this week to turn nervous fans back into 'Beelievers'.

Phil: They gave us no chance at 2-0 down but then we had an amazing second half. We are one more point nearer safety. I am taking my 87-year-old Dad next Saturday, so hopefully he gets to see us get three points.

Aston Villa have dropped out of the top four for the first time in two months.

On Friday, boss Unai Emery underlined how difficult it is to maintain a challenge with the elite and Villa proved his point 24 hours later.

Blowing a 2-0 lead over Brentford to draw 3-3 – needing the ever-reliable Ollie Watkins to come to the rescue with a leveller – was costly.

It meant Tottenham reclaimed fourth after Sunday's 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest, leaving Villa's hopes out of their hands.

Spurs overhauled Villa when they lost to Newcastle in January and following defeat to Manchester United a couple of weeks later but both times Emery's side recovered.

They held a five-point lead just last month, following the late 3-2 win at Luton, but are now behind Spurs again, this time on goal difference.

Yet Villa have proved their staying power this season and fifth is still likely to earn a Champions League spot with English sides in Europe expected to outperform their German rivals for co-efficient points and win an extra place.

Spurs have to play Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool in a tricky run-in and it would be naïve not to expect Villa to hit back and reclaim a top four place before the end of the season.

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Former Aston Villa and England striker Dion Dublin believes Ollie Watkins' post-match comments, following Aston Villa's 3-3 draw with Brentford, were "brave" and "right".

Watkins said his side lack a "big-team mentality" to kill off crucial games.

Speaking on Match of the Day, Dublin said: "Rightly so. I think he is right and he is brave to come out and say those points. He is kind of their talisman and, to say that, he is right.

"I just think everything seems to be going well for Villa at the moment, but there are little things that they can tidy up on. I think, defensively, their positional play isn't great.

"For the first goal, Carlos has got to come back. He has got two players to mark. If he just comes back a couple of yards, then he doesn't lose his man. He should stay in the middle, so why he is coming out of position, I don't know.

"As a centre-half, you stay in the middle of the goal and defend. Allow your full-backs to do the blocking.

"For the second goal, Torres gets his eyes on Mbeumo. He can see where he is. You have got to stay touch tight and you have got to know where your forward is. But, again, he gets into that space and gets under the ball.

"Twice that happened and twice they were punished. It happened all game. You have got to know where your forward is. Don't worry about the ball, mark the man, the ball isn't going to score by itself.

"I think the manager will be frustrated with that because Villa have been playing really well, but that side of the game is letting them down."

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