Aston Villa have one last chance to seal automatic qualification for the UEFA Champions League last 16 when they face Celtic in a crucial “Battle of Britain” clash today.
Heading into the final round of league phase, Unai Emery’s side sit ninth in the standings, with the top eight guaranteed to advance directly to the last 16.
Teams who finish ninth to 24th face a nerve-wracking playoff round that determines the other eight clubs to progress.
Photo: Reuters
Villa, who are one point behind eighth-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen, would almost certainly have to beat Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic at Villa Park to avoid the playoffs.
They could have almost wrapped up a last-16 berth by beating AS Monaco last week, but instead slipped to a surprise 1-0 defeat against the Ligue 1 side.
Villa defender Tyrone Mings is confident his side can cope with the strain of such a critical match.
“It isn’t pressure, it’s something we deal with every time we step out on to the football pitch, that’s no different. We enjoy it,” Mings said. “It’s obviously a very big game next week, but they all are in their own way.”
Mings left the pitch in tears after suffering a first-half knee injury during Sunday’s 1-1 draw against West Ham United, sparking fears the influential centerback would miss the Celtic match.
Celtic are sure to finish in a playoff spot after beating BSC Young Boys 1-0 in Glasgow last week, but Brendan Rodgers’ 18th-placed side are unlikely to take it easy against Villa as they look to finish as high as possible in the table and potentially secure less formidable playoff opponents.
Celtic also have a point to prove after being thrashed 7-1 at Borussia Dortmund in the most daunting of their league-phase matches.
A positive result against Villa would quiet those who suggested their progress to the playoffs was due in part to a favorable fixture list.
“I think we learned our lesson in Dortmund and bounced back really well. Sometimes you learn when you have a tough time,” Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said. “Barring one game, we have been solid, we have been very good. We have had some very mature performances. That’s the mark of the squad, we never get carried away, we stay humble and keep learning.”
Celtic, unbeaten in five European matches, are to travel south well rested after Saturday’s game against Dundee was postponed due to damage at the club’s stadium caused by Storm Eowyn, but Rodgers’ men are depleted by the absence of Japan internationals Daizen Maeda, who is suspended, and Kyogo Furuhashi, who completed a move to Stade Rennais on Monday.
Kyogo’s departure was softened by Portuguese winger Jota returning from Stade Rennais, but he is not eligible to play today.
Meanwhile, West Midlands Police hope to keep a lid on potential crowd trouble in the latest volatile clash between English and Scottish clubs.
The fixture at Villa Park comes six days after Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Rangers in the UEFA Europa League was marred by violent scenes.
There were 39 arrests as Rangers fans infiltrated sections of the stadium reserved for United supporters, with disorder also reported in the city center.
ADVANTAGE ATLETICO: Well off the pace in La Liga, the Copa del Rey represents Atletico Madrid’s best chance of silverware this season Atletico Madrid on Thursday hammered Copa del Rey holders Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their semi-final. After an Eric Garcia own-goal sent Diego Simeone’s side ahead early on, Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julian Alvarez struck to give Atletico a landslide lead by halftime. Barca defender Garcia was sent off in the final stages, with Atletico maintaining their significant advantage on the record 32-time winners, which they take into the second leg at the Camp Nou on March 3. Both sides missed good chances in the second half, with Barca’s Pau Cubarsi having a goal disallowed before Garcia was sent off
Dasun Shanaka hammered the fastest half-century by a Sri Lankan in T20Is as the cohosts thrashed Oman by 105 runs at the World Cup yesterday in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, for their second win in Group B. The 2014 champions piled up 225-5, the highest total of the tournament, before restricting an outclassed Oman to 120-9. The 43-year-old Mohammad Nadeem waged a lone battle for Oman, compiling an unbeaten 53 to become the oldest player to score a 50 in T20 World Cups. Having promoted himself up the order and under pressure to deliver, Sri Lanka skipper Shanaka smashed a 19-ball half-century. It has been
Stade Rennais, four days after firing coach Habib Beye, stunned Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 on Friday, snapping the defending champions’ seven-match winning run in French Ligue 1. Second-placed RC Lens could leapfrog the champions and retake top spot last night after press time if they beat Paris FC in the capital. PSG started brightly, with Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue carving openings to no avail. Rennes fired Beye on Monday and promoted his assistant Sebastien Tambouret, and the same players who had lost four games on the bounce seemed transformed. Jordanian forward Mousa al-Tamari bagged the opener, unleashing a fierce strike
Manchester City FC halved Arsenal FC’s lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 home defeat of Fulham FC, and Aston Villa FC stayed in the frame with a late 1-0 victory at home to Brighton and Hove Albion FC on Wednesday. Nottingham Forest FC squandered a chance to put some distance between themselves and the bottom three as they drew 0-0 at home to bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. Second-from-bottom Burnley FC pulled off a remarkable 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace FC to boost their slender survival hopes. City have little margin for error in their pursuit
RSS