Aston Villa have won two European trophies, with the 1982 European Cup as their most notable success, credited to Tony Barton and Peter Withe after inspiration from Ron Saunders. The following year brought a Super Cup dismantling of Barcelona. Villa have not celebrated another major European victory since then. They now face Freiburg with the goal of turning Istanbul into another European glory moment. Unai Emery leads the team and has won the Europa League four times previously with Sevilla and Villarreal. The match is set for 8pm BST at Besiktas Stadyumu, and the outcome will determine whether John McGinn can join past Villa figures in lifting continental silver.
"Share Aston Villa have won two European trophies in their history. And no we're not counting the Intertoto Cup. Dignity, my friends, dignity. The first, and quite obviously the most special, is the 1982 European Cup, inspired by Ron Saunders but actually won by Tony Barton and Peter Withe. You can relive, rediscover or just read about that with David Lacey's match report Glory night for Spink and Villa and Ben Fisher's nostalgic chat with the players. A glorious victory that will never get old."
"Though is it as downright hilarious as their dismantling in the Super Cup the following year of Barcelona, who in the 1980s were a rugged shower of galoots and hoodlums? No of course it's not. Glory days. But it's long past the time Villa had another major European victory to celebrate. Can they turn Istanbul into Astonbul? They're favourites to beat Freiburg tonight, and it doesn't harm that their boss, Unai Emery, is also the guvnor of the Europa League, having won it four times already for Sevilla and Villarreal."
"Can John McGinn join Dennis Mortimer and Ken McNaught in hoisting some continental silver for the Villa? We'll find out soon enough. Kick-off at Besiktas Stadyumu is at 8pm BST. It's on!"
Read at www.theguardian.com
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