Aston Villa will attempt to ‘make England proud again’ after being handed a stunning draw last night on their return to the Champions League.
Unai Emery’s team will host European superpowers Juventus and Bayern Munich and will stage a Battle of Britain with Celtic under the Villa Park lights on their first appearance in Europe’s top club competition since the 1982-83 season.
And, after Thursday's dream draw also paired Emery’s side with RB Leipzig, Monaco, Bruges, Bologna and Young Boys, Villa’s director of football operations Damian Vidagany fired a warning shot to their rivals.
‘We have a realistic opportunity to go forward and qualify,’ the Spaniard said. ‘We want to not only be there but to play good football. It’s emotional for
Aston Villa — for many years they were a team that England was proud of and we want to be that team again.’
Club director of football operations Damian Vidagany (right) insisted the team are capable of progressing to the knockout stages, despite drawing titans Juventus and Bayern Munich
Elsewhere, Liverpool host Real Madrid and Manchester City will head to Paris Saint-Germain as the British teams learned their fate at a semi-automated ceremony in Monaco that passed by without any glitches.
For the first time, in what many view as an attempt to see off the threat of a European Super League, the old groups are gone, with one league taking over. Each side will play eight fixtures, at least two more than they did with the old format.
City’s other opponents include Inter Milan — who they beat in the final of the 2022-23 season — and Juventus. Liverpool will welcome their former midfielder Xabi Alonso back to Anfield after they were paired with Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal will also take on PSG, along with Inter, Monaco and Girona.