Category: UEFA Competitions

• Villa chasing fourth straight win against Club Brugge
• Emery: ‘We have the possibility to get one step ahead’

Unai Emery has challenged his Aston Villa players to cement their surprise status as favourites to automatically qualify for the Champions League last 16. Villa, who are yet to concede in the competition, can make it four successive wins if they beat Club Brugge on Wednesday. The Villa manager estimates his team will need 16 or 17 points to guarantee a place in the top eight.

Emery said Villa have enjoyed being a “fighter team” after returning to Europe’s most prestigious club stage but has encouraged his players to take the next step in Belgium. “We have the possibility to get one step ahead in this competition, to be contenders for the top eight,” Emery said. “This is really an amazing objective that we can achieve. We are aware about the possibility to get the fourth victory, 12 points and the expectation for the next round to be in the top eight, maybe it [would take] 16, 17 points. If we win, clearly we can be contenders to be in the top eight.

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Anfield will forever celebrate their hero of Istanbul but the Leverkusen head coach returns with a new fairytale to write

Xabi Alonso took centre stage at Anfield elegantly, considered his options and switched play in an instant. Had the ball been at his feet it would have felt as if he had never been away, but it was on the subject of succeeding Jürgen Klopp as Liverpool manager where the club’s former midfielder showed the deftest of touches.

Alonso was back with Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool’s opponent in the Champions League on Tuesday night, 15 years after ending a playing chapter in his career synonymous with style, Istanbul and an intuitive rapport with Steven Gerrard. He could have been back sooner had Liverpool received any encouragement he might have been in the market for a new job this summer. It was not a possibility he entertained at the time or was keen to revisit at his pre-match press conference on Monday.

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• Uefa ban looming if fans repeat Dortmund incident
• ‘There’s a sanction hanging over the club,’ says Rodgers

Celtic’s manager, Brendan Rodgers, has reiterated his call for the club’s supporters to stop using pyrotechnics, with the Bonfire Night Champions League visit of RB Leipzig raising fears of a Uefa ban.

Supporters’ use of fireworks during last month’s 7-1 defeat by Borussia Dortmund led to Celtic being fined by Uefa and told their fans will be banned from attending an away fixture if there is another such incident within two years. The warning was heeded when Celtic drew away to Atalanta two weeks ago, but kick-off was delayed at Saturday’s Scottish League Cup semi-final against Aberdeen after yet another Celtic pyro display. Uefa is keeping a close eye on the matter.

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