Aston Villa make the trip to Bosnia & Herzegovina to face HŠK Zrinjski Mostar in the final match-day of their UEFA Europa Conference League group campaign.
Here’s the latest heading into this evening’s contest at the Stadion pod Bijelim brijegom…
Assistant Editor: Liam Davies
THE BUILD UP
Unai Emery’s side are looking to top Group E, with a point enough to earn the Villans a place in the round of sixteen. Victory over Legia Warsaw in the previous fixture in this competition helped the West-Midlands leapfrog their Polish counterparts into first.
Moussa Diaby’s early strike and Àlex Moreno’s first goal in claret and blue helped Villa to a 2-1 win at Villa Park a fortnight ago, but the night was tarnished by horrific scenes outside the ground that saw Warsaw fans attacking local police ahead of kick-off and during the game.
Last time out in the Premier League, Emery’s men saw off Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal by a goal to nil, courtesy of John McGinn’s 7th minute finish. This win came off the back of a spectacular, dominant performance over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City which saw the Villans rightful victors on the night; Leon Bailey was the scorer in that mid-week clash.
The glory over the Gunners helped set a new club record of winning 15 home games in a row in the Premier League and with these results, the team sit just two points off the top in third, behind only Liverpool and Arsenal and ahead of the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham and Newcastle United.
Emery will be looking for his side to continue the recent form into tonight’s final Group E fixture in Bosnia.
HŠK Zrinjski Mostar are bottom of the table on three points and following today’s match will be eliminated from the competition. Legia and AZ Alkmaar will battle it out at the Stadion Wojska Polskiego in the Polish capital to determine who else qualifies alongside Aston Villa.
Zrinjski’s previous game saw Mario Ivanković’s side dismantle NK Široki Brijeg by two goals to nil. Goals from Antonio Ivančić and top-scorer in the league Nemanja Bilbija helped Plemići to victory away from home; a result that kept the Bosnian outfit in second, behind FK Borac Banja Luka.
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery wants to finish top of Group E and is entering the game with the utmost respect for Zrinjski.
On the prospect of finishing first this evening’s opposition, the Spaniard said: “It’s the last match in the group and, of course, we want to be first in the group and it’s not available tomorrow if we’re not taking a point or winning.
“Tomorrow, our objective is trying to play, improving our team tactically, trying to give some players a real chance to play. And being first in the group.
“But, we know AZ Alkmaar lost here and it was a really crazy match because they were losing 3-0 in the first half and they came back for the result, 4-3.”
TEAM NEWS
ASTON VILLA
Emery is expected to heavily rotate the side for today’s UEFA Europa Conference League fixture in Bosnia & Herzegovina, following a hectic week in the Premier League and with the upcoming busy festive period in mind.
Discussing squad selection, the 52-year-old said: “But I want to try to build and try to create a strong structure in our squad with the players.
“Tomorrow is a very good opportunity for someone to try to play and get minutes, get confidence and prepare the way for this season in different competitions being very competitive, like we are doing at the moment.”
Leon Bailey is considered a doubt for today’s contest after coming off at half-time against Arsenal on Saturday with what appeared to be a knock. The Jamaican is expected to be rested for this one.
Elsewhere, Bertrand Traoré misses out with the injury sustained during November’s international break, while Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendía remain unavailable with their long-term knee injuries.
HŠK ZRINJSKI MOSTAR
Mario Ivanković will be without the services of defender Hrvoje Barišić for today’s game at the Stadion pod Bijelim brijegom.
The 32-year-old has been out since mid-September with an injury, missing a total of 19 games, including the entirety of his side’s European campaign.
Also unavailable for Plemići through injury is Croatian defender Mario Tičinović. The number 91 has not played since the 2-1 defeat at home to Legia Warsaw at the end of October and will miss this upcoming UEFA Europa Conference League game too.
Aside from these two absentees, Ivanković has a fully fit squad to take on Aston Villa, including the likes of Josip Ćorluka, Antonio Ivančić and Stipe Radić. Aldin Hrvanović, Filip Bradarić and marksman Nemanja Bilbija are also expected to start tonight.
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A BIT ON ZRINJSKI…
HŠK Zrinjski Mostar are one of the most successful clubs across Bosnia and Herzegovina, boasting eight league titles and two domestic cups; awards that have been won between now and 2000 when the league was formed.
ZRI are second in the Bosnian Premier League, but sit seven points behind FK Borac Banka Luka in first. When the two sides met earlier this season, the game finished as a goalless draw at the Gradski stadion Banja Luka in what was a tight, cagey affair a couple of months ago.
Mario Ivanković operates as the caretaker manager after taking over from former boss Krunoslav Rendulić last month, following consecutive defeats in the Conference League and against rivals FK Velež Mostar in the league. So far, Ivanković has overseen five games in charge, with his side winning three (all in the league) and falling to defeat in two.
John McGinn’s 94th minute header was the difference when ZRI and Aston Villa met at Villa Park at the beginning of November. The home side were on top for the entire game, claiming 70% of the possession and totalling 27 attempts at Marko Marić’s goal, but it took late inspiration from the captain to win on match-day two in Group E.
Unai Emery will hope for a more comfortable method of victory this team round. The Basque boss, speaking ahead of the match, expects a good contest against today’s Bosnian opposition.
On the previous meeting and ZRI, he said: “We played against Zrinjski at home as well, it was a very difficult moment for us. We struggled a lot and won at the last moment with the goal we scored. But they were very competitive.
“I don’t know exactly how they are going to face the match because they’re maybe thinking more in their league. But I think they’re going to be motivated because playing against us here, with their supporters, they are going to try and show their capacity and skills.
“And I respect them because tactically I think they’re a good team.”
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MY PREDICTED LINE-UP
Let’s take a look at my predicted line-up for this upcoming fixture in the Conference League…
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One Response
The expected lineup looks a little lightweight….Maybe a few more players would help🤣🤣
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