First of all, despite the nature of the article title, I am aware that UEFA Champions League qualification is not totally sealed with a win here today, however it would be pretty damn unlikely if a team was to catch up with us if we won today, like it still would be if we didn’t win. Welcoming our fans to the Putney End (great away day by the way, gutted I missed out on a ticket), Fulham have been a good side all season, much like all of the other teams in and around that area, and have every chance of qualifiying for some form of European football. Well, that pretty much comes to an end if they do not walk away with a victory today, so you know damn well they’ll be up for it. I was dead confident, but it’s 6.15am on the morning of the game and I have just made my coffee and all of a sudden I feel different, like I always do.
The form guide has us 12th in the Premiership, having won 2 in 5, meanwhile our hosts sit 17th, having won 1 in 5. To be honest, as good a side as I believe Fulham are, I watched them against Brentford in the early slot last Saturday and they offered minimal threat from what I saw and it was Brentford’s game to lose. As for the Villa, we’ve been kicking recently, being unbeaten in three in the Premiership after last week’s rollercoaster against Sunderland, and knocking Bologna and Lille out of the Europa League. I’ve seen it all before, I must say, where our opponents have previously struggled against teams below us so I think we are going to win, and it just doesn’t happen, so I will not be basing much on this form guide, but it’s there.
Team news suggests that Fulham will be without Kevin and Kenny Tete (I’ve never heard of Kevin Tete), and Iwobi faces a late fitness check for a thigh problem. That suggests to me that they haven’t got much to deal with. As for us, we’re in a relatively similar position – Kamara remains sidelined long-term, and I read that Maatsen may find himself out the lineup for Digne, and that Tammy may have injured himself scoring that goal last week, which we all saw when we watched it back.
Emery’s press conference suggests that his intentions are to finish in the highest possible league position this season, and that we will be relentless regardless of whether our fate is sealed or not. He also said that we must use the momentum from the last three games, which is what I think we have always done – we are very much a momentum team.
There we have it, a general round-up of what is going to be a tough fixture in West London. As much as I’ll be enjoying this one in sunny Birmingham, having checked the weather forecast I can tell you that it is going to be a very bad day to be a pint in West London! – and Birmingham, for that matter 😉
I am going for 1-2 to the Villa, because I am trying to be confident, but it wouldn’t shock me if this ends a draw. Lets do this!
UTV!
I did BFR, all this prediction is wishful thinking, we are weak in tackling and slow in thinking.
Slow in thinking is criminal for elite footballers. I tell my 8 year olds: quick movement; quick thinking; quick decisions. What excuse does a PL player have? Too many video games? Or just can’t be arsed?
BFR what league do you coach in if you are comfortable with sharing? I coach U/8’s too.
Alfie, I’m out in Cyprus on the grassroots circuit. Moving up to seven a side in September…
Do you live in Cyprus?
I do, indeed, Alfie.
Nice. Went once about ten years ago, lovely place.
Poor performance today – no energy – although we missed four very good chances.
We really missed Onana – hope he’s fit for Thursday.
The next four games define our season – simple as!
It feels like the momentum is against us on Thursday now.
Hard to disagree Alfie – shades of Olympiakus!
I had a dream last night when we were in the Europa League final and we lost 1-0 to Braga!
Alfie, go and see the Dr, that’s a nightmare,
Yes! I am worried, clearly!
Casemiro is such a cheat. Brentford should’ve won 2-3 from two indirect free-kicks in the box and United should be down to ten men via Casemiro’s two dives.
But nope. The PL have zero balls. No player would dive if it was an instant red and they lose nothing from implementing it. No team would pull out of the PL due to it and it would remain the best league in the world.
Joke.
Bailey and Sancho. An illustrious list precedes them:
Cannon and Ball
Hale and Pace
Reeves and Mortimer
And, of course
Laurel and Hardy
🤣
French and Saunders? No. They weren’t very funny.
Aaron Danks on the Bayern bench this evening. Ring a bell?
Watching PSG / Bayern. These teams perform on a different planet – make Villa look positively agricultural 😂
Reminds me of Real at their peak of the Gallacticos.
Fantastic football, Hitch. How it should be played. Like I said: quick movement; quick thinking; quick decisions.
Although, for me, Bayern are a bit slow to shoot.
Joke penalty just given.
Agreed BFR – and on the penalty – ridiculous.
Ridiculous penalty given via VAR – players will just have to cut their arms off!
I think Dembele kicked there deliberately. And why not when you can get decisions like that?
Emery would be having a fit if Villa got involved in a game like this.
Neither side’s defence is great but who cares when you have their forward lines. Lessons in finishing!
Great game last night. I missed three goals when I was in the bath, and two when I was changing my bed… and I still saw four goals… what an unbelievable game!
PSG should never have been given that penalty, especially as it came off his body first.
Musiala should’ve played for England!
Alfie, you make it sound like you pissed the bed, or worse 😅
I promise the first thing I would do if I was in control of the Premiership rule book would be to make simulation an instant red card. It is cheating.
In fact, I would rather two players have a punch up off the ball than have a player dive. One is handbags, the other is blatant cheating. It is literal fraud.
What would happen if I faked an injury and claimed compo?
You’d probably get the compo, Alfie. 😆
Turning my thoughts towards tomorrow and I find myself with absolutely no confidence that we can win this semi-final – I’m dreading it!
Onana faces a late fitness test but I suspect he won’t be fit enough to start even if he’s named in the squad. Then there’s no Barkley as he’s not registered in the Europa squad.
I truly hope I’m being overly pessimistic – apologies Alfie – but there it is.
Barkley would have been very useful indeed.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Gibbs-White lifting the trophy in a few weeks. I really really hope it’s John McGinn.
And I hope we go all out for Gibbs-White in the summer as his long term replacement. Signed in 2022 from Wolves. We should have been all over that. What price now?
Anyway, I hope we don’t get blown out of the water tomorrow. We have to be on it from the first second. I’ve no doubt Forest will come out of the traps like the proverbial greyhound. We saw what happened in Sunderland. And the second half against Burnley. We have been warned!
Absolutely BFR
We should have enough to get through just hope we don’t bottle it again
Tomorrow is nearly upon us folks. Twitchy bum time and blood pressure tablets will be a necessity. I’m dreading it to be honest. Especially if Onana doesn’t start. I would prefer to see Lindelof in midfield over Bogarde if it comes to it.
One thing is certain, if we go trying to ‘control’ the game by faffing around at the back, when we need to be positive and trust we can get at their defence, then we could get battered.
On too many occasions we get physically outplayed, which is something that happened against Fulham who were stronger and sharper in the 50/50 duels.
Also we need Rogers to have a performance where he doesn’t give the ball away constantly, and Watkins having one of those games when he doesn’t miss simple chances.
Let’s hope Emery’s Europa stardust is still working!
Holte – great minds and all that twaddle – given that Barkley’s not available was also thinking Lindelof to play alongside Tielemans in front of the back four.
See that the Tricky Trees are now being touted as favourites for the Europa League so we have just cause to be concerned.
oh my god, every round its the same.
we will lose the away leg, bologna are much better away from home, forest are much better than us, we have been in a relegation fight all season and they have been top 5, oh no that’s the other way round.
emery has a terrible record in Europe, for god sake get a grip please.
the only difference with forest is they have Chris Wood back, so yes there better than they have been, but there no PSG or BAYERN, Both of which we scared the shite out of last season.
Yes its possible we could lose the first leg or even the tie but i have faith in Emery and remember we basically have to lose all our last 4 games to fail to finish in 5th, so why so much doom and gloom, push out your chests and shout we are ASTON VILLA and we are coming for you all. UTMV
I can’t watch tonight. I know what you’re saying. But I can’t watch.
As for the league, the ‘easy’ 6 points against Spurs and Burnley are gone now that Parker has walked and De Zerbi is slowly stamping some authority and identity on Spurs. Lots of hard work still to do.
As with last season, you work your nuts off for 8 months to put yourself in the position you want to be. But you could bin it all in the last month. That is what Villa fans fear. Unai and his players can’t let it happen again!
You forgot to say 1 of the teams below us would have to win most or maybe all of their remaining 4 games as well as us losing our last 4 games for us to finish 6th…
Olympiakos, 2024. Crystal Palace, 2025.
Two names that should not concern Aston Villa in a semi final of a major competition. But they did. And they won the competition. That has to change. Or it will be Nottingham Forest on the record books for 2026. Not Aston Villa.
And guess who’s the owner of Forest – the same guy as owns Olympiakos. That would really be a kick to the gut.
Also a concern. The ref’s decisions at Villa Park against Olympiakos, in key moments involving goals, were, shall we say, questionable. Very very questionable.