Premier League club now major favourites to win Europa League after latest results
Aston Villa strengthened their grip on the Europa League top eight on Thursday when they beat Basel.
Youri Tielemans found the winner as Villa beat Basel 2-1 at St. Jakob-Park, after the home side had cancelled out Evann Guessand‘s opener.
Emi Buendia controlled and shielded away from the defender before laying off the ball to the Belgian, who did the rest with a composed finish into the bottom corner.
But it was not all good for Villa, with Ezri Konsa spotted bellowing at Lamare Bogarde after the defender gave away a free-kick in the build-up to Flavius Daniliuc’s goal.
Matty Cash was slammed for his performance against Basel, with the Poland international taken off by Unai Emery at half-time.
Aston Villa dominate bookies favourites for Europa League glory
Villa are among the form sides in all of Europe right now. Emery’s side have won eight consecutive matches across all competitions, and 14 of their last 16.
It has been an extraordinary turnaround for the Villans, who had started the season without a win in their opening six.
| Europa League table | Points | GD |
| Lyon | 15 | 10 |
| Midtjylland | 15 | 8 |
| Aston Villa | 15 | 6 |
| Real Betis | 14 | 7 |
| SC Freiburg | 14 | 6 |
Villa now sit just three points off the top of the Premier League table and are third in the Europa League group stage, behind Lyon and Midtjylland on goal difference alone.
Fixtures against Fenerbahce and Salzburg in January will decide their final placement, but Emery’s side will be extremely confident that they can and will top the group.
That would place them straight into the last 16, with return fixtures to be played at home until the tournament’s final.
With that in mind, Villa have emerged as a strong favourite to win the Europa League this season.
Odds on Emery’s team lifting European gold have shortened to as little as 7/2, leading FC Porto (7/1) and Roma (6/1), according to one major bookmaker. Nottingham Forest have been handed 8/1 odds.
Unai Emery’s ridiculous Europa League record holds Villa promise
Emery will be looking for the fifth Europa League trophy of his managerial career this season.
The Spaniard won the competition three times consecutively with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016, before later lifting the honour on his return to Spain with Villarreal.
The 54-year-old had come close with Arsenal, too, but his side fell to Chelsea in the 2019 final.
Emery’s record in the competition is stunning. Thursday’s game saw the coach take charge of his 100th Europa League game, with Tielemans‘ goal securing a 64th victory.
Just 14 times has the Spaniard emerged on the losing side, and he will hope that number can stay exactly where it is come May.