Key events
Unai Emery talks to TNT Sport. “Good evening … we are going to try to play with confidence … to enjoy … and be competitive … we needed the bench to have impact before and we will need that again today … in training we were feeling good … we must focus on the gameplan … we will try to play with personality.”
How good was Gary Shaw? Diego Maradona once asked for his shirt. Yep, that good. Maradona put in his request after the Villa striker was instrumental in dismantling a brutish Barcelona side in the second leg of 1982 Super Cup. This piece, by our old pal Paul Doyle, tells the story in rip-roaring fashion, and is one of the all-time must-reads. If you’ve not seen it before, enjoy. You’re welcome.
Here’s how the Guardian, via the flowing pen of the legendary David Lacey, reported on Villa’s greatest night in 1982 …
… and here are the memories today of five of their heroes. If Ben Fisher’s piece somehow passed you by this morning, make yourself a cup of tea, pull up a chair, and enjoy. This is great fun, and is guaranteed to give Villa fans – and indeed everyone else who loves the sport – some warm and fuzzy feelings.
The reigning Swiss champions Young Boys are currently bottom of the Swiss Super League, without a win in their first six matches. That doesn’t quite tell the whole story, though. Having lost their three opening league fixtures back in July, they’ve since steadied the ship a bit with three draws, a couple of wins in the Swiss Cup, and home and away victories over Galatasaray to qualify for this fancy new Champions League, League Stage. (The branding folk didn’t think this through, did they.) Still, it’s not been the ideal start for Patrick Rahmen’s side, and in-form Villa will fancy their chances of getting their CLLS (I know, but we’ve got to call it something) campaign up and running with a win.
If it ain’t broke, etc. Villa have won three of their opening four games in the Premier League, and should have come away with something from the one they lost. So Unai Emery is understandably of the view that nothing much needs fixing right now. He names the same XI that started the 3-2 comeback win over Everton at the weekend.
The teams
Young Boys: von Ballmoos, Athekame, Camara, Zoukrou, Hadjam, Niasse, Lauper, Monteiro, Ugrinic, Colley, Ganvoula.
Subs: Keller, Marzino, Lakomy, Itten, Imeri, Chaiwa, Elia, Virginius, Abdu Conte, Benito, Blum, Males.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Bogarde, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Ramsey, Watkins.
Subs: Gauci, Zych, Diego Carlos, Barkley, Duran, Buendia, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Bailey, Swinkels, Young.
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (Bulgaria).
Preamble
After a 41-year wait, Aston Villa compete once more for Europe’s biggest prize. The timing could not be more poignant, with the passing yesterday of 1982’s golden boy. Rest well, Gary Shaw. Kick-off in Bern is at 5.45pm BST.
