Donyell Malen wants to help the team turn around their fortunes for good at Aston Villa and on Thursday evening, the players go to a ground that can help fans “relive” a special moment in time.
‘It is a competition we want to go very deep’
Villa were winless in their first six fixtures across the Carabao Cup and Premier League. They beat Bologna 1-0 last Thursday and registered their first league victory against Fulham at Villa Park. In Malen’s mind, the team are ready to put the stresses of the summer behind them once and for all.
“I think we have that feeling. Of course, winning the first game was very important for us, and now that we’ve got that, we are ready to move forward.
Unai Emery won three successive Europa League titles with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016 before getting the better of Man United in the 2021 Europa League final. He would love a fifth crown.
“He has a good history with this competition. He always tries to talk to us about how we should approach games from the group stages and stuff. He is very keen to get very deep in this competition.”
Emery has never failed to deliver European football in the Midlands, and he is not content with making up the numbers. Villa reached the final four of the Conference League in 2024 and the Champions League quarter-finals in 2025, bowing out to the tournament winners on each occasion.
“We see it from game by game, but we know that this is a competition we want to go very deep in.”
This fixture will not only be a special occasion for the Dutchman to return to his native country. Villa also won the 1982 European Cup at De Kuip with a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich. Having beaten the Bavarians at Villa Park exactly a year ago, he hopes more connections can be made to the past.
“It’s a special moment for the fans, and we know that. We are trying to deliver a good match for them, so they can sort of relive that moment.”
