BASEL, Switzerland (AP) – Buoyed by victory over the Premier League leaders, in-form Aston Villa face Basel in the Europa League on Thursday.
They have bounced back from a slow start to the season and are currently enjoying a seven-game winning streak in all competitions, including a 2-1 win against Arsenal on Saturday.
The Villains are in the top three in England’s top flight and are tied for the top spot in Europe’s second-tier competition with Lyon and Midtjylland with 12 points after four wins from five games.
“The most important thing is a stronger mentality in everything, how we are building the team, how we are performing in the process of each competition,” coach Unai Emery said ahead of the match at Basel’s St. Jakob-Park. Emery won four Europa League trophies during his time in charge of Sevilla and Villarreal.
Lyon will host Dutch newcomers Go Ahead Eagles, while Midtjylland will play Genk at home.
The top eight teams after eight games will advance directly to the Round of 16 to be held in March.
At the other end of the 36-team field, struggling Nice will be aiming for their first point against Braga.
Teams from 9th to 24th place will advance to the final tournament in February.
In other fixtures, Nottingham Forest are away in Utrecht, Celtic and Roma play in Glasgow, and Maccabi Tel Aviv travel to Stuttgart.
In the Third Division Conference League, Crystal Palace will play Shelbourne in Dublin, while Fiorentina will host Dynamo Kyiv.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
