Legia Warszawa v Aston Villa Pre Match

[Dante Lavelli]

Luiz deserves a rest (tielemans). Chambers for Cash.

Other than that I’d go pretty much full strength but early swaps for Digne/moreno and Watkins/Duran.

[PeterWithesShin]

We haven't won a trophy for 27 years, the second longest run in our history. We've just gone 12 years without European football, our longest run since we first qualified for it nearly 50 years ago. We've spent over a decade being shit. Not just shit, but setting a number of club records for shitness levels of shit. We've endured years of watching the shite served up by McLeish, Lambert, Sherwood, Garde, RDM, Bruce, Gerrard where it felt that winning 6 home games and not being relegated was a good season. And then the regular early cup exits to lower league clubs or the reserves of decent sides.

It may be the 3rd ranked of the European trophies but was so was the UEFA Cup for years and I loved us in that, wanted us to win it and the Conference is no different. That anyone would think after the levels of shit we've had that the thought of winning the Conference is below us or not worthy of much more than indifference baffles me.

[pauliewalnuts]

I always had the CWC as the third ranked in the past.

[PeterWithesShin]

I always had the CWC as the third ranked in the past.

If you qualified for both back in the day you went into the CWC as it was the higher ranked competition. It's why we wanted Man Utd and then Chelsea to win cups in the past so as we got a UEFA Cup spot.

I always felt the UEFA was a lot harder to win than the CWC, but it was ranked lower than the CWC.

[Flamingo Lane]

The UEFA Cup also culminated in a home and away leg final, unlike the other two.

[VillaTim]

Always respected anyone from England who made the CWC as you had to win a trophy to get there .

[PeterWithesShin]

Or lose the final depending on opponents. Like Millwall, who got into Europe despite not beating a single top flight side.

[VillaTim]

Or lose the final depending on opponents. Like Millwall, who got into Europe despite not beating a single top flight side.

True but that was fairly unusual

[Small Rodent]

CWC was easier than UEFA cup in the old days. Back when there were cup shocks, teams with no sniff of UEFA won the FA Cup.

[Brazilian Villain]

I always had the CWC as the third ranked in the past.

If you qualified for both back in the day you went into the CWC as it was the higher ranked competition. It's why we wanted Man Utd and then Chelsea to win cups in the past so as we got a UEFA Cup spot.

I always felt the UEFA was a lot harder to win than the CWC, but it was ranked lower than the CWC.

I always had the UEFA Cup as much harder to win as well, from the mid-70s to mid-90s it was mainly 'big' teams that won it*

*apart from the "League Champions" Ipswich in 1981.

[VillaTim]

Remember Big Ron saying the UEFA Cup was harder to win in many ways than the European Cup back then as the up and coming teams were in the one and teams who had already peaked in the other . Kind of correct to a degree.

[Ads]

I cant remember the last time I was this excited for a game and getting away. This is a great chance to make memories and crucially win some silverware.

[not3bad]

I feel positive about this as well. We're all going on a European tour! Looking forward to seeing the lineup and I think Emery will go strong.

[wince]

The premier league should be our priority, but I suspect we’ll go with a decent team for this… tricky though

I reckon 1-1

Why? No chance of winning the league and if we are in top 6 we get chance of Europe……don’t mean to single your post out but I’m baffled as to why we bother qualifying if we are just wanting league position. It’s not like we are relegation fodder.

[frank black]

The premier league should be our priority, but I suspect we’ll go with a decent team for this… tricky though

I reckon 1-1

Why? No chance of winning the league and if we are in top 6 we get chance of Europe……don’t mean to single your post out but I’m baffled as to why we bother qualifying if we are just wanting league position. It’s not like we are relegation fodder.

No worries, Id just prefer us to have good go at finishing higher than last season. Ideally we win the conference and finish top 6/7. Ultimately if we are going to progress, it’ll be the PL that matters. Players won’t hang about if we finish halfway and get knocked out the conference in the semifinals. It’s a nice distraction, but our squad isn’t big enough IMO.