Unai Emery has called on his Aston Villa team to improve their away record as they return to Bruges in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League boosted by the return to fitness of key defenders.
Villa finished eighth in the league phase of the tournament despite suffering a 1-0 defeat at Tuesday’s opponents Club Brugge in November.
That was one of two away defeats in the Champions League Villa suffered, with Monaco the other. Their form on the road mirrors that in the Premier League, where they have lost seven of 13 matches and are ranked 16th for away form.
“Playing away, our results in the last 12 matches – we lost nine and won three,” Emery said ahead of Villa’s first European Cup knockout tie since 1982/83. “They’re not good results that we achieved.
“Getting balance, we are feeling very strong at home. We’ve played 23 matches and lost only two this season. We lost against Arsenal in the Premier League in August and we lost against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup.
“We are feeling strong and consistent at home, but we are not feeling consistent away. In this competition, we won at Young Boys, we lost at Brugge, we won at Leipzig and lost at Monaco – two and two. It’s enough balance for the competition.
“We got to be in the top eight, but tomorrow we have to do something better away than we did. We have to be stronger in our consistency than we did before here in Brugge and in Monaco as well.
“Hopefully, we can feel strong and comfortable tomorrow playing trying to face them with our capacity.”
Triple injury boost for Emery
Emery has been boosted by the return from injury of defenders Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings and Matty Cash, who have all travelled to Belgium for the first leg.
However, midfielders Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley remain sidelined.
