Thursday, December 12, 2024

Aston Villa have ‘a little bit of breathing space’

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Aston Villa’s remaining Champions League games “look a little bit easier” after 3-2 win at RB Leipzig, says former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

The win in Germany on Tuesday night leaves the side sitting third in the table on 13 points with two games remaining.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Robinson said: “It cannot be underestimated the size of that win. That was a performance and a win that Unai Emery would have wanted from his team tonight.

“They were outstanding at times. Two silly mistakes cost them the goals, other than that, defensively they weren’t really under any kind of threat, going forward they looked like they were going to create and cause problems.

“That makes their Champions League campaign thus far a real success.

“You add that result to their previous results, you look where they are in the table, that gives them a little bit of breathing space now and away at Monaco, at home to Celtic.

“Those games all of a sudden look a little bit easier for Villa, especially when the Villa fans will look at that table.”

The victory means Villa have won their past three games in all competitions, having only won three of their previous 13 matches.

“Nobody will want to play Villa in a knockout competition, the way they play, the attacking options that they have got,” Robinson added.

“Look at their performances in the Champions League – they’ve beaten Bayern Munich, drawn with Juventus, lost at Bruges, beaten Bologna, they’ve beaten some good teams.

“I don’t think Monaco or Celtic will hold any worry for them.

“Going forward – top eight, top 16 – however they get through, I think they will be a real problem for teams in this competition.”

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