Aston Villa handed Champions League lifeline by UEFA

Emery urges Villa to grasp chance after Man City expulsion

UEFA's decision to ban the Citizens from European competition opens the door for the Villans to qualify for next season's tournament

Unai Emery has urged Aston Villa to grasp their amazing opportunity to qualify for the Champions League after Manchester City were banned from European competition.

The Villans are currently eighth in the Premier League, but they are just nine points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with 13 games remaining.

UEFA's decision to ban City from the Champions League for the next two seasons means that the fifth-placed team in the Premier League will now qualify for the competition.

Emery is confident that Aston Villa can finish in the top four, but he knows that they will need to be at their best for the rest of the season.

"This is a great opportunity for us," said Emery. "We have a chance to qualify for the Champions League, and we have to go for it.

"We have a tough run of games coming up, but we are confident that we can get the results we need.

"We have a great squad of players, and we are all determined to achieve something special this season."

Aston Villa's next match is away to Arsenal on Saturday.

Aston Villa's 2019-20 squad

Goalkeepers:

• Tom Heaton
• Orjan Nyland
• Jed Steer

Defenders:

• Frederic Guilbert
• Ezri Konsa
• Kortney Hause
• Tyrone Mings
• Matt Targett

Midfielders:

• Douglas Luiz
• Jack Grealish
• John McGinn
• Marvelous Nakamba
• Anwar El Ghazi
• Trezeguet

Forwards:

• Wesley
• Jonathan Kodjia
• Keinan Davis

Head coach:

• Unai Emery

Aston Villa's 2019-20 stats

• Premier League: 8th
• FA Cup: Fourth round
• Carabao Cup: Semi-finals