Aston Villa on brink of historic Champions League quarter-finals: Club Brugge test at Villa Park | OneFootball

A 3-1 victory in Belgium last week has put Aston Villa in control of their Champions League last-16 tie against Club Brugge.

Wednesday’s second leg at Villa Park offers the chance to seal a historic quarter-final place.

Manager Unai Emery has lost just three of his last 19 home games in this competition and knows how to navigate these high-stakes occasions.

Villa’s recent form has been encouraging. After a dip in the league, they have responded with three straight wins across all competitions.

Their 1-0 win at Brentford was not their most fluent performance, but it was a reminder of their resilience.

Ollie Watkins, who has been central to their success this season, delivered the decisive goal against his former club.

Villa have turned Villa Park into a fortress. They are unbeaten in their last 15 home games and will take confidence from that record as they look to finish the job.

Brugge face a daunting challenge. The Belgian side showed their attacking quality in the first leg but collapsed late on, conceding twice in the final 10 minutes.

Their record in England offers little hope – they have lost 12 matches in 14 visits and have no wins to their name. Emery is not underestimating them.

“Nothing changes,” he said. “We have our own experience, anything could happen because it’s football – the match can change so quickly.”

He pointed to Villa’s earlier setback in the competition, when they threw away a two-goal lead against Celtic.

He also called on the Villa Park crowd to make a difference. “The supporters know their importance. It’s a special moment – we have to be together and enjoy it,” he added.

Morgan Rogers could be a key figure again. “He understands everything tactically,” Emery said. “He is always trying to improve, and we want more of him.But Villa’s ambitions go beyond this tie. “Our objective is to be consistently playing in Europe and the Champions League,” Emery added.They can take another step towards making that a reality on Wednesday.