Ex-Birmingham midfielder gives Aston Villa Champions League backing with Unai Emery 'magic touch'
Aston Villa will be looking to pull off a Champions League shock against giants Paris Saint-Germain and take another big stride forward in their recent success.
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Villa's resurgence from relegation threatened to Europe's biggest stage under Unai Emery has been remarkable - and the recent 6-1 aggregate thumping over Club Brugge has set up a mouth watering last eight tie with PSG.
Villa will go into the game as clear underdogs, with the first leg taking place at the Parc des Princes on April 9, before the return leg at Villa Park the following week.
There won't be many people of a Birmingham City persuasion who will be handing their backing to their bitter second city rivals - but one former Blue has.
Writing in The Mirror this week, pundit and former Birmingham midfielder Robbie Savage has outlined why Villa have a huge chance of causing an upset against the French giants.
He has pointed to Emery's European experience, having won the Europa League four times, and believes that, coupled with the attacking arsenal that Villa have put together, means a shock could be on the cards.
He said: "Unai Emery's magic touch in Europe and Marcus Rashford’s rebirth as a dynamic forward are turning Aston Villa into English football’s secret weapon in the Champions League.
“Yes, PSG will be favourites on paper. But when you look at Villa’s pace, mobility and firepower up front, suddenly the penny drops: Rashford, Marco Asensio, Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers, Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey are a handful for anyone.
“And the quality of Emery’s squad, especially in forward areas, means they cannot be written off as Champions League makeweights.”
“Emery has won the Europa League four times as a coach and took Arsenal to the final in 2019. He has the knack of coming up with the right formula to win in Europe.
“I sometimes wonder if Emery was given long enough to rebuild Arsenal.
“He only lasted 78 games over 18 months, and if it’s true that the Gunners lacked identity in the way they played under him, what he has since achieved at Villarreal and Villa underlines his pedigree as one of Europe’s top coaches.
