The Momentum we have built up after that testing first month of the season is continuing. A 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv thanks to goals from Ian Maarten and a Donnell Malen penalty sees us with 9 points in the Europa League stage and in 6th place, just a point off second. Danish side Midtiylland are leading the way, with four wins out of 4.

We also find ourselves in the top 4 of the Premier League after wins at home against Bournemouth (4-0) and  a 2-1 victory last Sunday at Leeds United. The feel good factor is back in the club, ahead of a testing month in December which includes 2 matches against Arsenal plus a home game against Manchester United and a visit to Chelsea.

The next assignment in the Europa League is against a team we played against in our opening game in the Champions League last season.

We took a trip to Switzerland to play Young Boys and we strolled to a 3-0 victory. This time we will be playing them at Villa Park but at a bizarre kick off time of 5:45pm. Uefa kindly decided to put the other English representatives Nottingham Forest at home in the same week and as it is a rerun of their 1979 European Cup win over Swedish side Malmo, we have the short straw. Perhaps they thought that because we are playing Young Boys, they’d need an early bedtime?

No matter, we will be ready to play. Young Boys have made an average start with 6 points from 12. One win and one defeat apiece at home and away. Their last match saw them thrashed 4-0 at PAOK.

This season’s campaign has seen Unai Emery resting key players and giving more squad players a chance ahead of what may be a testing period in the league. So far, this has played well for us. All European games have been followed by a win at Villa Park in the league.

With that in mind we hope to continue with that tradition against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers at home.

This will be our last Europa League home game of the calendar year with just an away trip against another Swiss team,  FC Basel, to conclude the calendar year of European Football for 2025.

We will then have two more league games to play in January before hopefully another European knockout journey in the Spring.

Let’s roar the boys to victory and Up The Villa!