Crunch time in the Europa League: Fenerbahçe v Aston Villa match preview and team news

Villa's penultimate Europa League match takes them into the white heat that is football in Istanbul

The Europa League returns for its odd little January outpost this week and there are two matches left for each of the 36 teams participating in the league phase.

Aston Villa face their toughest league phase match on paper. Having won five of their first six in the Europa League games, they are in Istanbul to take on Turkish giants Fenerbahçe on their own patch.

Unai Emery has proven that his Villa team can outsmart and outplay anyone on their day but there’s no doubt the very best performances against top-notch opposition have come at home and Villa, for all the positives of the last three or four months, are having a wobble.

This is a test. Villa will be up against a streetwise team with a head coach who knows his stuff and a crowd that we can expect to be less than welcoming.

It’s a challenge to their character and their composure. They’ve both succeeded and failed to demonstrate those this season.