Aston Villa fans will be pinching themselves as they look forward to their side welcoming German giants Bayern Munich to Villa Park in the Champions League.
What would have seemed only possible in the world of fiction before Unai Emery was appointed in late 2022, that Aston Villa dream is now set to become a reality.
Emery will have prepared meticulously as ever for the arrival of Bayern Munich as the Villa boss looks to find a way to beat a team littered with star quality.
The likes of Manuel Neuer, Jamal Musiala and Harry Kane are just some of the names who should be on show at Villa Park, but Villa must rise to the occasion as they look to show they are worthy of the biggest of stages.
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Unai Emery should play Morgan Rogers on Aston Villa left against Bayern Munich
Bayern had a disappointing season by their exceptionally high standards last season as they finished third in the Bundesliga and failed to lift any silverware.
However, they have started this season very well under new manager Vincent Kompany, with the draw with Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend the only blip on their otherwise faultless record.
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Whilst Villa beat Young Boys 3-0 in their Champions League opener, Bayern demolished Dinamo Zagreb 9-2.
Despite that incredible scoreline, Bayern do have weaknesses and one of these can be exploited by Emery if he changes the position of the in-form Morgan Rogers.
Whilst Thomas Tuchel preferred to use Joshua Kimmich at right-back last season, Kompany has preferred to play the 29-year-old in midfield.
This has seen either left-back Raphael Guerreiro or midfielder Konrad Laimer instead play right-back and neither is the strongest defensively.
Therefore, Emery could shift Rogers from the second striker role he has thrived in so far this season and move him to the left wing so that he can play directly up against one of the makeshift right-backs.
This could then see Jacob Ramsey move to the second striker role as he tends to drift inside when he does play on the left.
Aston Villa must be ruthless against Bayern Munich
Whilst Villa will be very glad to have got off the mark, the opener against Young Boys was a rather tame introduction to the Champions League.
The Swiss Champions are one of the weaker sides in this season’s competition, but the same cannot be said for Bayern.
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Villa Park will be electric but players and fans alike may have to accept that Villa will not have it all their own way against Bayern.
Germany’s most famous team will look to impose themselves on Villa and will likely have the bulk of possession, meaning Villa’s forward players must be clinical when presented with opportunities.
Given the form of Rogers and Ramsey, as well as the return to form of Ollie Watkins, you would be brave to bet against them doing just that to secure a historic victory.
