Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Jonathan Veal

Unai Emery insists Aston Villa will relish underdog tag against Bayern Munich in Champions League clash

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is ready for a "special, special match" when his side welcome Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Villa, who opened their campaign with a 3-0 win away at Young Boys, will play their first home fixture in Europe's top competition since a quarter-final defeat to Juventus in 1983.

German giants Bayern travel to Villa Park for a repeat of the 1982 European Cup final, which Villa famously won.

Emery, who has experience of beating Bayern in the Champions League while manager of Paris St Germain and Villarreal, says his side are the underdogs.

"We are very happy to face Bayern here at home and hopefully we can enjoy tomorrow and we can compete and show our best," he said.

"It is a special, special match for everyone.

"When it's a new competition we are motivated and so excited to play tomorrow with our supporters in Villa Park. Remembering as well the final that Villa played against them 42 years ago.

"Now at this moment in our process we have to try to play one match more. Of course it's against one of the best teams in the world and the favourite with three or four others to win this competition.

"We are very motivated coming back to Europe last year, with Aston Villa not playing Bayern Munich since 40 years ago.

Aston Villa are eyeing an historic win against Bayern on Wednesday night (Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)

"I think Europe is something very, very important and very, very difficult. This is the challenge we have now. Tomorrow they are favourites, much bigger favourites than us. Tomorrow I want to compete against them."

Emery will be taking charge of his 188th European match overall while it will be just the second in the Champions League for opposite number Vincent Kompany.

His first one ended pretty well, beating Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 a fortnight ago.

Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Kompany was appointed at the Allianz Arena having been relegated with Burnley, but Emery says the Belgian is set for a successful career.

"His career is very recognised as a player," he said. "He started two or three years ago and he worked at Man City with (Pep Guardiola) and he has been successful so quickly.

"With his experiences and working with Guardiola, everything I watch as him as a coach says he will have a very good future.

"Last year was difficult with Burnley, he didn't achieve it to keep them in the Premier League but I respect him a lot.

"Bayern Munich, with the players they have for him, it's easier to get the level they will want to have in the league and the Champions League."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.