John McGinn dreaming of trophy after Aston Villa Conference League lesson
John McGinn admits he’s dreamed of ending Villa’s long wait for a major trophy but warned they cannot take anything for granted in the Europa Conference League.
Villa host AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night knowing a win would leave them on the brink of qualifying for the knockout stages of a competition in which they are many people’s favourites. But despite emphatically winning 4-1 in Alkmaar a fortnight ago, McGinn believes they can leave nothing to chance against opponents who arrive in the West Midlands desperate for a result to save their own campaign.
Victory in Holland was preceded by a 3-2 defeat for Unai Emery’s team at Legia Warsaw and a last-gasp win over supposed Group E minnows Zrinjski Mostar, courtesy of McGinn’s header.
The skipper said: “The outside perception is we will be there towards the end of the competition.
“We are embracing that and we know we are one of the biggest teams in the competition, but that doesn’t mean we turn up and beat anyone. The Legia game was good for us, a huge learning curve. Teams will punish you and we got punished that night.
