Stunning Visual Journey: Aston Villa’s Group Stage Highlights Captured in Pictures

Aston Villa has a real shot at making it to the Champions League knockout stage this season. It’s been 41 years since they last played in this top-tier competition, and their performance so far is impressive.

To secure a spot in the last 16, Villa needs to defeat Celtic while hoping that Atalanta doesn’t win against Barcelona. If Villa wins by a couple of goals, they can also leapfrog Bayer Leverkusen.

Their journey began brilliantly with a fantastic 3-0 victory over Young Boys in Switzerland. Goals from Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey, and Amadou Onana set the tone for a strong campaign under Unai Emery.

In their second match, they faced Bayern Munich, a team they famously beat in the 1982 European Cup final. Jhon Duran made an impact by scoring just nine minutes after coming on, while Emi Martinez saved a crucial header from Harry Kane, helping Villa secure another 3 points.

Success continued with a 2-0 win against Bologna at Villa Park, where both Duran and John McGinn found the net.

However, their winning streak faced a challenge against Club Brugge, where a controversial handball call led to a penalty, resulting in a 1-0 loss. This setback was disappointing, especially as it came on Emery’s second anniversary at the club.

After a 0-0 draw with Juventus, Villa faced RB Leipzig. They took the lead twice, and ultimately, thanks to a deflected goal from Ross Barkley, they won 3-2, climbing to third in their group.

Recently, they faced a tough match against Monaco but lost 1-0, which left their qualification hopes hanging in the balance. Despite this, they’re still in a strong position. According to Opta, there’s a 52.6% chance they will finish in the top eight and a 76.8% chance to progress to the knockout stage.