Aston Villa

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Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins speaking to Sky Sports on securing Champions League qualification: "An amazing achievement. What we have done this season after the start we had - a poor start where we hardly scored and didn't win for six games - there was a lot of doubt and negativity around the club and he feeling in camp.

"We've turned it around with some big performances. Amazing to play in the Champions League, a lot of amazing teams, football that everyone watches and the competition that everyone is striving to play in."

On the win against Liverpool: "Liverpool play a high line and don't play offside so they're disjointed at the back and feel like there's a lot of space for me to run into. No disrespect to them, the centre backs are world class but I spot space and opportunities. I like to run in behind.

"Just before the goal, I was disappointed because I went offside, they play such a high line. I shouldn't be offside in that position but to grab that goal a minute later, me and Morgan [Rogers] have a great connection."

On his second goal: "Buzzing Pau [Torres] missed that, I knew I wasn't offside. It's horrible when it goes to VAR you never know but you can't ask for anything more as a striker with a little tap in there."

On his current form: "I had a slow start to the season, picking up a few niggles on international duty and then being left out of the England squad. I think it gave me that fire in my belly to come back and prove to people what I can do. A lot of people had written me off this season and I use that as motivation to show them that I can be back to my best - scoring and helping the team. I think I've showed that for the last few games.

"I'm taking each game as it comes. Being in the Europa League final is an amazing achievement. Excitement around the club, everyone is buzzing and we'll leave it all on the pitch on Wednesday."

Well it's job done in the Premier League for Aston Villa. They have booked their place in next year's Champions League.

The Champions League anthem is being played out on the sound system at Villa Park.

It could turn into an incredibly special week for Aston Villa.

Next up, the Europa League final in Istanbul on Wednesday...

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Villa's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Come back on Saturday for a selection of your replies - more reaction and analysis coming soon

Unai Emery makes three changes from Aston Villa's draw at Burnley and despite having a Europa League final to look forward to on Wednesday, it's a fairly strong Villa side.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Pau, Digne; Tielemans, Lindelof; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins.

Subs: Bizot, Barkley, Garcia, Abraham, Sancho, Luiz, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey.

For Liverpool, there's just the one change with Joe Gomez coming in for Jeremie Frimpong. Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz are back on the bench but there's no Alexander Isak again.

Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones, Szoboszlai, Ngumoha; Gakpo.

Subs: Woodman, Wirtz, Salah, Chiesa, Robertson, Nyoni, McConnell, Ndiaye, Wright.

Aston Villa have got the Europa League final against Freiburg on Wednesday so what will Unai Emery do here?

The last time Villa had a big European game coming up, against Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals earlier this month, Emery made seven changes against Tottenham and his team were awful.

This time? Villa need to build a bit of momentum before they head to Istanbul, so he cannot do the same again - if he does, they will lose momentum, not build it.

Liverpool are hardly flying at the moment either, though, and like Villa they are not guaranteed a top-five finish yet.

A draw feels like the most likely outcome but making predictions at this stage of the season is almost impossible because of the different things that can skew the results. If it was down to me the predictions from the last two weeks of the season would not count towards the table.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa host Liverpool with a win for either side enough to secure Champions League qualification. BBC Sport explores some further themes around this fixture.

Villa's stuttering end to the domestic season will be largely inconsequential if they can end the 2025-26 campaign with a first major European trophy in 44 years.

Villa have taken eight points from the past 27 available, dating back to a 2-0 loss at Wolves on 27 February when they sat third in the table. Only relegated Burnley and Chelsea have amassed fewer points over that period.

Villa's primary focus is Europe

Victory in the Europa League final on Wednesday would guarantee a place in next season's Champions League and render Villa's final league position almost irrelevant.

Villa will start as favourites against German outfit Freiburg next week and in Unai Emery they possess a manager who excels in that competition. The Spaniard has won four Europa League titles – a record for a manager - although it is worth noting that his only defeat in this final came while in charge of an English side.

Friday's Premier League match does still hold some significance and a win would secure Villa's place in the top five with a game to spare. They have not lost a final league match at Villa Park since their Premier League return in 2019 (W4, D2), a run which includes an entertaining 3-3 draw with Liverpool two years ago.

Liverpool seek to end season on a high

It would be fair to say that Liverpool's title defence has not gone exactly to plan. The Reds head into this weekend 20 points behind league leaders Arsenal and have amassed 24 fewer points than at this stage last season after suffering 11 defeats.

To put that into context, they lost only four times last season and two of those came in May after the title was already in the bag.

Eight of this season's 11 losses have come on the road – their most away defeats in a top-flight campaign for 14 years – and they have collected just one point from seven trips to face teams currently in the Premier League top nine. Aston Villa are fifth.

"We have dropped far too many points in away games," admitted head coach Arne Slot, who was subjected to boos during last Saturday's draw with Chelsea at Anfield. "But I have every reason to believe I am the Liverpool manager next season."

The 2024-25 Premier League champions will end the campaign without a major trophy for only the third time in the past eight years, but victory at Villa Park would at least confirm Champions League football for next season.

Liverpool hold the upper hand in games against Friday's opponent and have lost only one of their previous 16 Premier League meetings with Villa, winning 12 and drawing three. That sole defeat was a 7-2 thrashing at Villa Park in October 2020 which remains the club's record Premier League defeat.

Another reverse this Friday, by any margin, would see Slot's future called further into question.

Aston Villa fan Gareth Cheadle and his son Kealan are making the most of Villa's European final and are touring several countries before the final in Istanbul on Wednesday.

The duo will visit Valencia, Milan and Sharm El Sheikh before Istanbul and then Berlin on the way home.

"It's a memory that will last a lifetime," said Gareth to BBC Radio WM. "It's a fantastic opportunity.

"It's my son's 21st birthday in a couple of months so we had a chat and said we'd book a few places along the way just in case Villa don't go there [to the final] and it snowballed.

"We just kept adding more destinations!

"We've been to a couple of European away days and the atmosphere is great. I can't wait. It's going to be a great occasion."

Listen on BBC Sounds

Aston Villa want to sign Argentine forward Matias Soule, 23, from Roma. It comes as 27-year-old Dutch winger Donyell Malen's loan move from the Midlands side to the Italian club looks set to turn permanent. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Melissa Edwards
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Liverpool at Villa Park (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Emery confirmed there is no fresh team news for Villa with the same three absentees still unavailable - Amadou Onana, Alysson and Boubacar Kamara.

• Villa have won just three of their past 13 Premier League games but Emery is "proud" of how far his side have competed all season: "The reason [for the drop in form], we must analyse deeply at the end of the season. But my objective is to compete in different competitions at our best level and to have enough players, enough mentality to play and fight in the Premier League with the best teams and try to get our best position like we are doing."

• He continued: "The best teams in the world are becoming [the best] when they can get consistency in different competitions, performing and being competitive, and we are doing that."

• Emery said the they need to look at their "overall" campaign and how they have beaten the likes of Tottenham, Newcastle and Chelsea to their current position in the Premier League table.

• The Spaniard called Harvey Elliot's loan spell "embarrassing for everyone involved", after Liverpool boss Arne Slot confirmed the winger will return to the club for pre-season in his news conference on Thursday.

• He added: "To now explain about the reason for this decision is very difficult, or it is easy, but it is not the moment. My apologies for Harvey Elliott are, every day, in my mind. We have our responsibility and Liverpool have their responsibility and, of course, it's something as a human and as a person, how the season has gone for him has been difficult."

• On facing Liverpool: "We are playing one team - the favourite and contender from the beginning, to be clear, because last year they won the Premier League. Of course, it's something fantastic and something we must be so proud of."

• He continued: "And now it's how we can test ourselves, playing against them, how we are testing with them because, of course, Liverpool, they have fantastic coach, fantastic players. Maybe they are not being consistent this year like they were last year, but they've still been a fantastic team and players and coach, and it's Liverpool."

Got a question about Villa? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Aston Villa have made hard work of qualifying for the Champions League.

It is just three wins in their past 13 Premier League games - no top-flight away win since January - and they can count themselves fortunate to still occupy a place in the top five.

They still have two routes - Wednesday's Europa League final against Freiburg in Istanbul - and via the league. Beating Liverpool at Villa Park on Friday would seal it.

Victory would send Unai Emery's side into fourth, above the Reds who they are level with on 59 points.

Lose and they will be vulnerable to Bournemouth, who are currently four points behind, although the Cherries host Manchester City on Tuesday, with Pep Guardiola's side looking to keep their fading title hopes alive.

Brighton could still finish fifth with two wins and also have a better goal difference than Villa.

The pressure is on Villa again on Friday, Emery having stated qualification for the Champions League via the Premier League is the priority.

That will be his message again in his pre-match news conference at Bodymoor on Thursday afternoon.

How to balance the squad will also be a consideration, with the team preparing for their first major European final since 1982.

Come back to this page later on Thursday for all the key lines from Emery.

Megan Jones and Steve Hermon
BBC journalists

Lifelong Aston Villa supporter Scott Barnes never thought he would sell his late dad's diamond ring - but when the Villans reached their first European final since 1982 he had an emotional decision to make.

Barnes took the drastic step to sell the beloved ring after he had success in the ballot to buy a ticket on Tuesday, something he thought would "never ever ever" happen.

Speaking on BBC Radio WM's football phone-in though, the season ticket holder admitted his first thought was that he couldn't afford the flight to Istanbul to see Villa face Freiburg in the Europa League Final, in a week's time.

He said that it was only when his partner Claire reminded him about the ring that a plan was hatched, with Barnes saying he spent his last £20 on fuel to get to Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter.

The gold ring, set with nine diamonds was bought by his father John Barnes, in 1988.

"Everyone loved my dad, the whole family we loved him, he was so generous and used to pay for everything, we never went without," his son remembers.

"I still have my dad's wedding ring, and my mum's wedding ring that I will keep forever."

Selling the ring was not straightforward though, and Scott had to visit a number of jewellery shops to seal the deal.

But then one came up trumps, and he sold the ring, along with a watch, and was paid £550.

"When the jeweller gave me the money, I burst into tears in the shop," Barnes said.

He was very close to his father, but his emotions were heightened further because John had supported him through a gastric bypass in 2009 and the complications that followed, which included sepsis and septicaemia.

"I had to learn to walk again, I couldn't do anything, so there was a big gap from going to the Villa," Barnes remembers.

And now, despite being registered disabled, he tries to get to every game, whether it is home or away.

Read the full piece on BBC News

Click play above to hear more from Scott or listen on BBC Sounds here

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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Are we nearly there yet? The long, lumpy third act of Aston Villa's season, encapsulated in the past week by two entirely contrasting games, has been crawling towards this point.

It is understandable that any nerves at Villa's failure to nail down Champions League qualification already have obscured just what an achievement it would be, especially after they were stuck in the starting blocks for a month.

But to be in a position where, with three games to go, a win in any one of them will deliver the prize that potentially unlocks the next stage of the club's rise is still something to celebrate.

That is not to downplay the significance of trying to win an actual trophy in Istanbul next week, which would be not only a thrill many Villa supporters have never known, but a crowning moment for the club's best squad since their revered European champions.

The past two games illustrate the junction Villa have now reached. Despite their drop-off in results in the second half of the season - 20 points from the past 18 league games following 39 in the first 18 - Villa have not suddenly lost the ability to be an outstanding team.

Their dominance of the second leg against Nottingham Forest, arguably the peak performance of the Unai Emery-Villa era to date, confirmed that. They overwhelmed an in-form side from the first whistle, maintaining a standard and intensity beyond all but the best in the Premier League, let alone the Europa League. No wonder they are prohibitive favourites to beat Freiburg.

Yet it was always unrealistic to imagine they could achieve the same standards in an entirely different setting less than 72 hours later.

Emery was unusually facetious in one of his interviews afterwards, at a question over why he had made so few changes. But the answer was obvious enough. While Villa's squad is deeper than two years ago, not all of it is yet at the level to sustain their best work to the end of two competitions.

Their faltering league results are the symptom which defines the problem more eloquently than any of Villa's polite chafing against the financial rules they feel have held back their development. It is true to say that a better strike-rate of successful transfer dealings would help.

But no club gets them all right, and a consistent Champions League cash flow greatly increases the prospect of making their breakthrough to the top bracket sustainable. These are the stakes being played for in the next 11 days.

Listen to full commentary of Aston Villa v Liverpool at 8pm on Friday on BBC Radio WM [95.6FM/DAB/Freeview 714]

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

Explore Aston Villa content on BBC Sounds

Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann has outlined his idea to improve how corners are officiated in future.

In the aftermath of weekend controversy over players grappling in the penalty area, he has told BBC Sport a rule whereby attacking players cannot enter the six-yard box until a corner has been taken would be his preference.

Ex-Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha backed the idea and thinks it will add "creativity" to corner kicks and the move would force "people to think in a different way".

You can watch a clip of the debate above, with Onuoha stating: "Twenty players standing in the six-yard box, you have to ask yourself, is that what you want to see? And is that the best version of the game?"

• Listen to the show in full on BBC Sounds

• Watch the show in full on iPlayer

Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans, 29, could be set to leave Aston Villa at the end of the season. (Football Insider), external

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

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Hannah Gowen
Fan writer

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This is not the first season that Aston Villa have left things late to secure their place in Europe.

It's Groundhog Day. Just as it was at the end of the 2023-24 season - the last time Villa qualified for the Champions League - the club are four points clear in the qualification places with Liverpool up next. Two years ago, the outcome was a high-scoring draw at Villa Park, followed by a loss on the final day once the following season's footballing fate was already determined.

History is set to repeat itself this week, but with the added jeopardy of a fast-approaching European final.

Consistency in the league has been a challenge for Villa this season, particularly in 2026. Unai Emery's side have been an antithesis of themselves at times. A sublime mid-season spell, climaxing with a brief title charge, has been contradicted with periods of lethargy and underperformance. Sunday's draw against an already relegated Burnley was a prime example - failing to get out of first gear after a blistering showing against Nottingham Forest on Thursday.

However, European form has often been the steadying force for Villa. Despite poor league away returns this year, they have managed to pick up wins on the road across Europe. The club have also registered 10 consecutive home European wins - a feat that puts them amongst the best of the best.

A win against Freiburg guarantees a path to the Champions League and provides the perfect punctuation for a whirlwind season. At the same time, Villa can relieve some pressure for their Champions League hopes with a win against Liverpool on Friday night.

As is often the way in football, Villa have never done things the easy way. The opportunity to execute a historical season in the next 180 minutes of football is right at their fingertips.

Find more from Hannah Gowen at UTV, external

The Observer's football correspondent Rory Smith has been drawing comparisons between Bournemouth and Aston Villa's journeys from Championship to Europe on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

Andoni Iraola's side could qualify for European football for the first time in the club's history this season, right before he is due to hand over the baton to newly-appointed head coach Marco Rose.

"Aston Villa's argument [since their initial success] is that they've been held back by the mean PSR rules," Smith said. "They believe that stopped them from making the journey from Championship to Champions League in less than five years, which is apparently too slow.

"Bournemouth have been able to ride it out though. However, they have been very close to their PSR headroom, but that is obviously no longer relevant now it has been abolished.

"They have done really well in realising that the game is there to be played - and that game involves clubs like them selling a player every now and again.

"Every so often you do have to cash-in on a big player, which I would argue - and I know their fans don't like this - Aston Villa maybe realised too late.

"What is going on at Bournemouth is an extraordinary achievement. They haven't lost since they sold Antoine Semenyo in January, which is astonishing. They've had a real triumph in terms of squad-building and talent-spotting."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Harvey Elliott is attracting Premier League and European interest but is still expected back at Liverpool for the start of pre-season.

The 23-year-old has endured a nightmare season on loan at Aston Villa from Anfield, making just nine appearances in all competitions.

Yet Elliott - who won Player of the Tournament as England Under-21s won Euro 2025 last summer - is still wanted by a number of clubs in England and abroad.

He is unlikely to have a future at Liverpool if Arne Slot is in charge next season but the playmaker is due to report for pre-season training at Axa Training Centre in the summer.

Elliott joined Villa on loan on deadline day last year with Villa holding an obligation to buy in a deal worth £35m if he made 10 Premier League appearances.

Elliott has made just four - starting once - with boss Unai Emery saying he decided in November not to make the move permanent.

Villa and Liverpool held talks about ending the loan in January but were unable to reach an agreement. The teams play each other in the Premier League at Villa Park on Friday, with Elliott ineligible to face his parent club.

Elliott, popular within the Villa squad and at the club's Bodymoor training ground, has earned praise for the mature way he has handled the situation this season but sources have underlined it has been a wasted year which has set his career back.

He joined hoping to force his way into Thomas Tuchel's World Cup plans but has seen Under-21 team-mate Elliot Anderson earn six games to become a regular under Tuchel.

He was an unused substitute in Thursday's 4-0 Europa League semi-final win over Nottingham Forest which booked Villa a final berth against Freiburg.

Emery made seven changes to face Tottenham in the Premier League ahead of the semi-final second leg earlier this month with Elliott left out entirely.

Two Ligue 1 goalkeepers have emerged as potential replacements for Emi Martinez, with Aston Villa considering Lens' Robin Risser and Toulouse's Guillaume Restes - both 21-year-old France youth internationals - if the 33-year-old goalkeeper leaves this summer. (Foot Mercato – in French), external

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

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