Aston Villa boss Unai Emery says his side will travel to Paris for their Champions League quarter-final first leg with confidence after racking up a seventh win in a row.
Villa beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 to boost their chances of returning to Europe’s biggest stage next season thanks to goals from Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen in the opening 15 minutes.
They have real momentum as they set sights on a second successive year of Champions League qualification.
They could still do that by winning this year’s competition and now head to face Paris St Germain for the club’s biggest game since their European Cup quarter-final loss to Juventus in 1982.
“We are motivated. We’re excited,” former PSG boss Emery said ahead of a return to the Parc des Princes.
“They are favourites but we are going to try to play those two matches, preparing as best as possible, competing, analysing how we have to adapt to them, how we can impose and dominate with our structure tactically.
“We are very motivated to prepare those matches.
“It’s a different match to today, we are going to analyse and identify how we can face Paris St Germain. We are going to prepare two legs.
“Everything we are doing, we are analysing and trying to get better. There are a lot of things positive and a lot of things I want to check we can do better.”
Forest have aspirations of their own to be in next season’s Champions League, though they were hurt by a defeat which could have at least been a draw.
Jota Silva got them back into it in the second half but they missed a host of opportunities to level in the absence of injured strikers Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi.
Asked if the result would have been different had one of those players been fit, boss Nuno Espirito Santo said: “We never know. What we tried was to try and find solutions.
“But for me, football is strikers, you know what I mean. So we miss Chris and you miss ‘T’, because the way we play, the way we do things, we need a reference player.
“It’s very harsh on Anthony (Elanga) and Callum (Hudson-Odoi) and Jota (Silva) and (Roman) Sosa to do the same. It’s not the same.
“This was probably one of the matches that we created more chances. Disappointed. Disappointed, not only of the chances that we created and didn’t achieve.
“I thought the way we started the game first half, not so good, much better the second half. But the feeling is of disappointment.”
[(Racing Club de Avellaneda) Strength]: 1. Racing Club de Avellaneda lost their first encounter 0-1, so they cannot afford any loss this time and must go all out to win, fully motivated.2. In the last domestic league game, Adrian Balboa performed well and scored the first goal to put the team ahead.3. Racing Club de Avellaneda scored 5 goals and conceded 5 in the last 5 games with good performance...
[(Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors) Strength]: 1. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors performed stably across all competitions this season. Since April, the team have remained unbeaten in the last 20 matches.2. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors scored at halftime in 4 consecutive games, getting into form quickly on offense.3. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors scored at least 2 goals per game in 5 consecutive matches, showing strong attack.4....
[(Velez Sarsfield) Strength]: 1. During their first encounter, Velez Sarsfield played a goalless draw. In this home game, they vow to grab a win and advance, with full motivation.2. Braian Romero withstood the pressure in the last game and scored a penalty in the final moment, helping the team seal a last-gasp victory.3. Velez Sarsfield defeated Club Atletico Independiente 2-1 in the last game, wh...
[(Ferencvaros) Strength]: 1. Ferencvaros are motivated to win this home game and take the lead in advancing.2. Cadu scored a goal in the last game, once helping the team tie the game.3. Ferencvaros received 3 wins and 1 loss in the last 4 home games, revealing outstanding home performances.4. Ferencvaros scored 11 goals and conceded 3 in the last 5 games, boasting excellent attack and solid defens...
[(Gwangju FC) Strength]: 1. The first leg of the Semi-finals will see Gwangju FC play at home first. They hope to grab the advantage, with full motivation.2. Gwangju FC forward Reis scored twice in the last game, being in good form.3. Gwangju FC performed well and scored a 2-0 win over Daejeon Hana Citizen in hte last game, thus getting back on the winning ways.4. AH market provided home team a -1...
[(FC Machida Zelvia) Strength]: 1. In the last league game, Korean internationals Oh Se Hun and Na Sang Ho both scored in open play, showing decent performances.2. This game is FC Machida Zelvia's fourth consecutive home game, which is in favor of them.3. FC Machida Zelvia won 3-0 over Cerezo Osaka in the last league game, securing a 10-game winning streak across all competitions.4. FC Machida Zel...
[(Crvena Zvezda) Strength]: 1. Crvena Zvezda vow to win this home game in order to grab the advancing advantage, with full motivation.2. Aleksandar Katai performed very well in the last domestic league game. He scored a hat-trick in a win for the team.3. Crvena Zvezda defeated Mladost Lucani 4-1 in the last domestic league game. They achieved 7 wins and 1 draw in the last 8 games, being in red-hot...
[(Sao Paulo FC) Strength]: 1. Sao Paulo FC drew with Atletico Nacional in the first leg on the road. They will advance to the next round if they win this round at home, indicating full motivation to win.2. Sao Paulo FC signed Serie A team Atalanta BC captain Rafael Toloi recently. He is expected to make his debut in this match.3. Sao Paulo FC drew 2-2 with Sport Club do Recife in the last league g...
[(Chengdu Rongcheng FC) Strength]: 1. Chengdu Rongcheng FC drew 0-0 with Qingdao Hainiu F.C. in the last Chinese Super League, ending their winning streak. However, the team were unbeaten with 5 wins and 1 draw in the last 6 games, showing commendable performances.2. Chengdu Rongcheng FC scored 12 goals in the last 5 home games, revealing outstanding attack at home.3. Chengdu Rongcheng FC are now ...
[(Sanfrecce Hiroshima) Strength]: 1. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have achieved 14 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses in the league so far this season. They have scored 30 goals and conceded 18 goals in 26 league matches, and currently rank 5th in the league standings. The team will play at home in this game and have a strong desire to win.2. Naoto Arai, the main defender of Sanfrecce Hiroshima, has performed stea...
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