On Wednesday evening Aston Villa return to European action for the first time in over a decade as they travel to Edinburgh to take on Hibernian for a place in the group stages of the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL).
The Villans qualified for the UECL playoff round after finishing seventh in the Premier League last season, beating Tottenham Hotspur to the last European spot.
They will be looking to become the second consecutive Premier League team to win the competition after West Ham United were crowned champions last season.
But first they must get past Scottish Premiership club Hibernian across two legs, the first kicking off at 17:45 BST on Wednesday, with the return leg at Villa Park eight days later.
“Everyday when I go to the training ground there is the ‘82 European Cup [picture]. It’s good to have that memory,” Villa head coach Unai Emery told The Telegraph.
“This is the history of Aston Villa and it is amazing, We want to write a new history now in our own way and hopefully we can enjoy it and feel something important here.
“Playing in Europe always gave me a lot as a coach. Now with Villa I want to share my experiences and my competitive way that I did before, and I want to do it here.”
Villa's European history
This will be Villa’s first European match since 2010, when they lost to Rapid Vienna in the playoff round of the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League.
The players will be looking to revive past European glory at the West Midland club.
Villa won the 1981/82 European Cup, the forerunner to the UEFA Champions League, beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in the final with a goal from Peter Withe.
Happy birthday to Aston Villa legend and 1982 European Cup final goalscorer, Peter Withe. ⭐ pic.twitter.com/8bk7kehhFC
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 30, 2022
Emery also brings European success to the team.
The Spaniard has won the UEFA Europa League four times in his coaching career, three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal.
He also led Arsenal to the final of the same competition in 2019, but was defeated 4-1 by Chelsea in Baku.
Success in the UEFA Conference League adds another incentive for Villa this season.
If they win the competition, they will automatically qualify for the Europa League group stages next season.
