sport news Aston Villa sweating on fitness of goalkeeper Emi Martinez as Unai Emery's men ... trends now
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If Aston Villa are serious about rejoining the elite of European football then they must show they can deliver on nights like these.
To keep alive their dream of lifting a first major trophy since 1996, on Thursday Unai Emery’s men must overturn a two-goal deficit at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium - the home of Olympiacos and one of the most intimidating venues in European football.
Only 1,600 Villa supporters will be there to cheer on their team among a capacity crowd of about 33,000 and their noise will be largely drowned out. Every Villa touch will be whistled, their every pass jeered. If Olympiacos supporters learn the location of Villa’s hotel, the squad may be in for a disturbed night’s sleep.
Yet these are the games Emery has pinpointed to take Villa to the next level. With Champions League qualification within touching distance, Emery knows his team need to learn to handle the heat of hostile matches in unfamiliar surroundings.
Even though Villa have reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, their progress has been based on strong home displays. The 4-1 win at AZ Alkmaar last October is Villa’s only victory on their travels in the competition proper, and they were poor in the 0-0 draw at Ajax and the 2-1 defeat at Lille, when Villa were lucky to squeeze through on
