Aston Villa eye Europa Conference League success after impressive 2022-23 season

Aston Villa saw a huge improvement in their fortunes after Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in the dugout last season. 

The Spanish boss made some bold decisions and they all worked out brilliantly. 

The Lions went on an impressive run, sealing a seventh-place finish with 61 points. 

As a reward, they qualified for the 2023-24 Europa Conference League play-off round, where they defeated Hibernian on an 8-0 aggregate score. 

They have now made it to the group stages and are set to take on Polish side Legia Warsaw on Thursday evening, with the fixture available to watch via Aston Villa live streams. 

The Midlands outfit will be aiming to replicate West Ham United’s success in the previous edition of the competition. 

They are undoubtedly one of the top favourites to win the Europa Conference League title. 

Emery’s side have made a positive start to the new campaign, winning three of their five games to move up to seventh in the Premier League table. 

Following a 5-1 battering at Newcastle United, they went on to claim four victories on the trot, including successes over Everton, Burnley and Crystal Palace. 

Villa have also added some top quality players in the summer, signing Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby. 

Additionally, they have a world class manager in Unai Emery who boasts serious European pedigree. 

The Spaniard has the distinction of winning four Europa League titles as a manager – three with Sevilla and one with Villarreal. 

Their group contains AZ Alkmaar, Legia Warszawa and Zrinjski Mostar, who all look like relatively weaker opponents. 

Villa are almost guaranteed to make it to the knockouts, but their challenges will increase from there onwards, with the likes of Fiorentina and Eintracht Frankfurt also in the competition.