Unai Emery Aims for Champions League Win

Unai Emery is determined for Aston Villa to win their opening Champions League match against Young Boys on Tuesday to honor former striker Gary Shaw. Shaw passed away on Monday at the age of 63. Shaw played a key role in Villa’s European Cup-winning team in 1982. Villa returns to the Champions League for the first time in 41 years. Emery believes a victory would serve as a fitting tribute to Shaw.

Expressing his condolences, Emery said, “I offer my condolences to Gary Shaw’s family and all Villa supporters,” while highlighting that Shaw’s legacy still lives on at the club. He continued, “We display a picture of the 1982 European Cup win at our training ground, and Shaw played a key part in that. It’s a sad moment, but we will use this as motivation.”

Furthermore, Villa faces Swiss champions Young Boys at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern which features an artificial pitch. In order to ensure full preparation, Emery changed the team’s usual routine. Rather than training in Birmingham as they typically do, they trained in Bern to adapt to the synthetic surface.

Explaining this decision, Emery stated, “We changed our approach to get used to the artificial pitch. We’re ready and won’t use it as an excuse. I believe we can play with the same personality as we do at home.” In addition, Villa continues to miss Matty Cash, who is recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in August.

However, Leon Bailey, who missed the recent win against Everton due to a similar issue traveled with the squad to Switzerland and could be available for selection. Ultimately, Unai Emery aims to make a strong start to Villa’s European campaign using Shaw’s memory as extra motivation for the team to succeed.