One of the fixtures Aston Villa fans are looking forward to this season is the Champions League clash against Celtic.
It’s the first time the two British heavyweights will meet and many things are linking the two ahead of the fixture.
It will be the final game of this newly-formed Champions League group stage, with Unai Emery pretty content with how Aston Villa are going.
Yes, it was a bitter disappointment for Aston Villa to lose to Club Brugge last time out, but in the end, that bizarre Tyrone Mings handball penalty was the difference.
Plus, the Midlands side haven’t yet conceded a goal from open play in Europe, which is some going given that they have played Bayern Munich.
But there is still a long way to go from now until that fixture is played, with both Villa and Celtic in with a chance of making the top eight.
One man who is looking forward to that contest is John Hartson and he explained why.
John Hartson speaks highly of Villa Park ahead of Champions League clash against Celtic
Last season, Villa won 15 Premier League games on the bounce at home, including dispatching the top two, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Plus, they have won their two Champions League home matches and are proving that their home crowd can drag them over the line again.
John Hartson shared that he is hoping, when Celtic travel down north to the Midlands from Glasgow, ‘there is something riding on the game’, as he told Go Radio.
Added to that, he expressed how Villa Park is ‘one of my favourite’ stadiums and this heavyweight fixture has an ideal setting.
“What a stadium to play it as well, Villa Park,” said Hartson. “It is one of my favourite stadiums in the Premier League. The Holte End and everything else.
“I used to play against players like Paul McGrath, Dean Saunders, Shaun Teale and Dwight Yorke. That was sort of my era when I was at Arsenal and West Ham. Villa Park was always a great place to play. It really was.
“Now that they are in the Champions League. I can’t imagine what the atmosphere is like. Some of the games I watched, Bayern Munich, for instance. The atmosphere was electric, so you put that in with the Celtic travelling away fans. It will be some night. You are just hoping that there is something riding on the game, then you have sentimental stuff. You got John McGinn playing for Aston Villa, a Celtic fan. You have Martin O’Neill, who did so well as a Celtic manager, also Villa manager. There are little links and talking points.”
Aston Villa and Celtic’s Champions League standings
After four matches, Villa are occupying the final top-eight spot, with Brendan Rodgers and his players sitting in 15th.
But that doesn’t tell the whole story because Celtic are only three points behind second-placed Sporting Lisbon.
If it’s that close come January 29, then it will be some pathway into the knockout stages and both teams want that ticket.
Given the start Villa have made, three wins from four, then they have set themselves the platform to secure that all-elusive top-eight spot.
