As you can imagine, Aston Villa fans arrived here on cloud nine.
After all, they have been struggling since Saturday’s thrilling lunchtime victory over Premier League leaders Arenal, but now Emery’s side have turned their attention to one game, switching from excitement to Europa, with the Spaniard winning a record four trophies in his career, including the 2016 final against Liverpool at Basel’s St. Jacob’s Park.
advertise
The Villa boss returns there knowing that a win will take them one step closer to the knockout stages, although they did lose their last away game. They unexpectedly lost to the Marching Eagles on a rainy night in the Netherlands, and the head coach made seven changes to the starting lineup. However, “We trust Unai” was the resounding message I spoke to fans in Switzerland. Their high spirits were boosted not only by a dramatic Premier League win but also by the delightful Christmas market at Basel’s Münsterplatz. Oh, and maybe a beer or two in one of the many bars in this tri-border city, where the three points will be an early festive gift for the 1,800 fans who have traveled here to enjoy another European away experience.
I saw some at the Dreiländereck monument, where, as you can see below, the borders of Switzerland, Germany and France meet on the Rhine.
Tonight on BBC WM Radio: West Midlands football call-in (1800) and pre-match discussion (1900)
Get everything here
From 2000 you could get match commentary on digital radio instead of online.
[BBC]