Aston Villa’s return to Europe’s elite competition has been magnificent and Unai Emery will be eyeing an instant passage into the knockout stages.
Aston Villa may have lost to Club Brugge last time out but Unai Emery’s men are yet to concede from open play in Europe’s elite competition after Tyrone Mings bizarre handball handed them their first defeat.
The Villans return to Champions League action next week with a home clash against Juventus.
Much of the talk heading into that match is about former midfielder Douglas Luiz, who could miss out through injury.
The showdown against Juve isn’t the only match piquing supporters interests, as Villa host Celtic in the final game of the newly-formed Champions League group stage.
John Hartson is excited about the Villa Park showdown, as he claims it’s one of his favourite grounds, lauding the atmosphere as ‘electric’.
Hartson isn’t the only one talking up the mouth-watering clash between two European heavyweights, with former Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov also having his say.
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Stiliyan Petrov says which five Celtic players would make Aston Villa’s starting XI
Petrov had the pleasure of playing for Celtic and Aston Villa across his exceptional career, amassing 523 appearances combined for both clubs.
The Bulgarian is therefore very knowledgeable and ahead of the clash at Villa Park, he’s listed five Celtic players he believes would make Villa’s starting XI.
In an interview with Football365, Petrov said: “You’ve got Alistair Johnston. You’ve got Callum McGregor, who is an incredible midfielder.
“[Daizen] Maeda, not many teams would turn down his energy, the way he plays. Kyogo [Furuhashi], the way he plays, he is very positive in his movement.
“[Reo] Hatate, he is really maturing, he’s getting stronger and stronger, scoring and creating goals, he is a box-to-box midfielder and you don’t see many midfielders like that at the moment. Many of those players can be in that Aston Villa team.”
Petrov is excited about Aston Villa vs Celtic showdown
While just two points separate both sides in the Champions League table, with Villa in eighth and Celtic in 15th, it promises to be an exciting fixture.
Some will disagree with Petrov naming five Celtic players who could make Emery’s starting XI, although everyone can agree that the showdown at Villa Park is an exciting prospect.
“I am looking forward to that game because there are two great managers,” Petrov added. “Two attacking teams and I think it will be a cracking game because there is a lot of space to be exploited, a lot of speed, a lot of good technical players. I’m looking forward to that game.
“The way things are going, both teams will need points. Let’s take a point each and then both going through.”
As it stands, Villa will enter the knockout stages of the competition without going through the playoff however, that could soon change and there could be a lot riding on this fixture in January.
