Aston Villa have a huge task ahead of them if they are to play in the Europa Conference League final in Athens on 29th May.
Unai Emery takes his side to Greece as they look to overcome the 4-2 Europa Conference League semi-final first-leg defeat they suffered home to Olympiacos last Thursday.
The Villans went 2-0 down before pulling the game back to 2-2 with goals from Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby either side of half-time.
They then conceded from a penalty and a cruelly deflected strike off of the back of Ezri Konsa before Douglas Luiz missed a late penalty which could have made the job in the away leg more simple.
Emery knows his side have their work cut out in front of what will be a hostile atmosphere, but he told the media on Wednesday how he is trying to inspire the unlikely comeback.
Unai Emery reminding players of similar past experiences
Having managed the likes of Sevilla, PSG and Arsenal, Emery has seen it all when it comes to management.
The 52-year-old also boasts real European pedigree, having won three consecutive Europa League trophies with Sevilla before winning the competition for a fourth time at Villarreal.
Emery was asked in his pre-Olympiacos press conference whether he would use the example of when his Sevilla side overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit against Real Betis in 2014 before winning on penalties.
The Spanish manager insisted that his focus was on previous experiences with his current club rather than his Sevilla triumph.
Emery explained: “Not specifically about that moment, we are speaking about our experiences and how we reacted to losing some matches, even in Premier League or even how we reacted to Carabao Cup or FA Cup or even how we reacted in Conference League playing some matches.”
Emery needs to devise a plan to combat Olympiacos press
It is interesting that Emery’s focus appears to revolve around bouncing back from defeats rather than comebacks within individual games.
Villa followed up the defeat at home to Olympiacos with a lethargic 1-0 loss away at Brighton in the league on Sunday and need to find a way to re-energise themselves for the second leg.
If they are to have joy in Greece, then Emery must come up with a way for his Villa players to play through the Olympiacos press.
Villa simply could not get to grips with the aggressive nature of their opponent’s pressure in the first-leg, with the approach from Olympiacos manager José Luis Mendilibar perhaps coming as a surprise given his team were widely viewed as the underdogs in the tie.
For this reason, Emery may be tempted to bring Pau Torres into the side.
The defender is a calming influence on those around him and is comfortable in possession, patiently baiting the press better than any other Villa centre-back.
Calm heads will be crucial in such a huge game and Emery may be best served turning to his more composed players.
