Targeting three out of three in the Europa League: Go Ahead Eagles v Aston Villa preview and team news

Villa have taken maximum points so far in the 2025/26 league phase

Unai Emery’s latest European quest continues in the Netherlands this evening, where Aston Villa will play their third European league phase match.

Villa supporters have descended on the picturesque city of Deventer, the home of Eredivisie side and KNVB Cup winners Go Ahead Eagles.

It’s Villa’s second successive visit to the Netherlands. After beating Feyenoord at De Kuip before the October international break, the target is to make this a second successful Europa League visit too.

Villa handled the distraction of the Maccabi Tel Aviv debacle admirably both on and off the pitch. It can’t be overstated how difficult it could have been to go to Tottenham Hotspur at the peak of that furore and get the job done.

There’s one more game to play in the competition that threw up that AI-generated draw and thrust Villa into the political spotlight through no fault of their own. After that, Villa Park and Birmingham will be at the epicentre of a quake of Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch’s making.

Thanks a fucking bunch for that.