Unai Emery said Aston Villa ‘will work’ for automatic qualification to the Champions League’s Round of 16 after beating RB Leipzig 3-2 in Germany.
The Villans recorded their fourth win in six league phase games and now sit in a strong position to finish inside the top eight. Emery’s side have 13 points and sit third, with only Liverpool having taken more points heading into Wednesday’s fixtures.
A thrilling fixture at the Red Bull Arena twice saw Leipzig level after Villa goals from John McGinn and Jhon Duran, before Ross Barkley’s deflected drive sealed the three points late on.
In the new format, the top eight teams automatically progress to the Round of 16, where they will be joined by the victors of the play-offs, consisting of the teams ranked ninth to 24th after eight games.
Emery hailed a huge win for his team and said Villa must now target a place in the top eight after a brilliant start to their maiden Champions League campaign. The Villans face Monaco (A) and Celtic (H) to round out the league phase.
“I’m very happy,” Emery said at his post-match press conference.
“The supporters were here with us and they were fantastic. They help us massively always in this competition and today as well, and we got those three points because we were feeling comfortable.
“We planned the match like we did and we are thankful for the supporters, thankful for every Aston Villa follower because we enjoy the Champions League with them.
“We have 13 points now and we have to be happy, but we have to keep balance. In this competition we are now in the top 24, maybe in the top 16, but we have the opportunity with winning today to play for the top eight positions.
“We will work for it.”
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