Aston Villa

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"Aston Villa just need to translate their Champions League form to the Premier League now," says former Premier League midfielder Charlie Adam, who watched on as Unai Emery's side hit six goals past Fenerbahce at Villa Park.

Their first home win of the 2026-27 season saw them move one step closer to qualifying for the knockout stage, having already beaten Club Brugge 3-2 in their Champions League opener.

"Unai Emery is one of the best coaches in Europe," Adam told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "He prepares his team so well, he is tactically very good, he understands what he is playing against, and he gives his players a good platform to build on.

"He hasn't complained about all the players the club sold this summer, he has just got on with his job this season.

"Nicolas Jackson was a very good signing, Johan Manzambi has stepped up, John McGinn has been an absolute world-beater since he signed - and when they have their forward line scoring goals. They have a really good balance in their team.

"Ross Barkley can also dominate in terms of receiving under pressure and enjoying playing forward. Boubacar Kamara is a really good defensive midfielder who gives you that security.

"Emery has chopped and changed his defensive line a little bit more, but he has still relied on players like Victor Lindelof.

"I thought Emiliano Martinez would be a huge loss for them this season, but the new goalkeeper Zion Suzuki has come in and done really well.

"For me, Aston Villa just need to translate their Champions League form to the Premier League now."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds here

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Ross Barkley has hailed Unai Emery as one of the world's best managers after Aston Villa demolished Fenerbahce.

The midfielder scored twice, including a penalty, in the second half to help Villa beat their Turkish hosts 6-0 in the Champions League.

Johan Manzambi and Nicolas Jackson's double put Villa 3-0 up at half-time, before Barkley and Tammy Abraham completed the rout on Wednesday.

It was Villa's first home win of the season and after a summer of upheaval, including six key exits and 10 arrivals, Barkley sees things coming together - thanks to Emery.

"As the weeks go by, everyone is growing, but it's led by the manager. He's one of the best managers in the world and, with time, everyone learns and improves. It's exciting," said the 32-year-old.

"Once you grasp it, the game becomes easy for you if you're on it on gameday. The game comes together."

It was Barkley's sixth start of the season, having only made eight in 2025-26, and the former Everton youngster is relishing his revival.

Barkley added: "I love being a part of the club. It's a great club, a great team, it's fantastic. My role is to be ready when I come off the bench or when I start.

"When I come on the pitch I've got to do what I can do. If I don't perform at my best, the next game I've got to come through and lead and perform better.

"There's always competition for places in our team. We've got four or five central midfielders, so it's just about being ready."

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nicolas Jackson celebrated his first-half double by making a cutting motion, which proved fitting on a night Aston Villa found their clinical edge.

A first win at Villa Park this season, three first-half goals and six in total, and a commanding Champions League victory - all in the biggest European win in their history.

Questions had been building after Villa picked up just one point from their opening three Premier League home games this season, even if Saturday's 2-2 draw with Brentford ensured they avoided a third-straight home league defeat under Unai Emery for the first time since February 2024.

They found a willing opponent in Fenerbahce, who were scattered with former Premier League players, including Ederson, Nathan Ake, Romelu Lukaku and Nelson Semedo.

Villa had last scored so many in a 6-1 win over Brighton three years ago, while they had put five goals past Hibernian in the Conference League in 2023.

That result provided another springboard and extended the side's recent form to just one defeat in seven games. However, Emery's rebuild will still take time.

Before the international break, he compared the opening five weeks of the season to pre-season, with 10 new players to adapt following a chaotic summer of change.

Record £65m signing Jackson came in to replace Ollie Watkins after his £50m switch to Al-Hilal. He joined having helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga last season on loan from Chelsea, and on moving to Villa Park he was reunited with Emery.

The pair had worked together at Villarreal, with Emery giving him his debut, and the 25-year-old has quickly repaid the faith on their reunion.

The only thing missing for Jackson was a potential hat-trick, with Ross Barkley - the pre-arranged penalty taker - scoring from the spot.

"I wanted to take it but the most important thing is that we won," Jackson told TNT Sports. "Hopefully next time I will get the hat-trick."

Jackson's four goals in three games and five goals in total this season have helped the club quickly move on from their record Premier League scorer Watkins.

Emery added: "Jackson is doing a fantastic job. He is scoring, working defensively and helping the team - this is very important. Maybe he can shoot [from the spot] in the future, as well."

The new-look forward line will now be eager for Saturday's trip to Newcastle, especially as Matthias Jaissle's side shipped four against Coventry on Monday to leave them with the joint-worst defensive record in the Premier League.

Read the full article here

We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Champions League game between Aston Villa and Fenerbahce.

Here are some of your comments:

Prit: Perfect, absolutely perfect. If we can keep Jackson, Manzambi and Mbaye fit, what a front three that is. The pace was fantastic and it will worry a lot of defences going forward, so I hope Mbaye is OK. The defence is still a worry, but Unai Emery will fix that. Onwards and upwards.

Damon: Unai is a master in European games. He proves it time and time again. Just look at his record. We trust him to work out the Premier League as well after our usual slow start.

Paul: A great win and a much-needed one at home. This may seem a bit bizarre based on the clean sheet, but there are still issues to resolve defensively.

Image source, Getty Images

Rob: A great performance. Just what we needed to get our season going. Jackson was a class apart, and Manzambi was excellent. A clean sheet is also very pleasing. Definitely no excuses now about the North Stand closure - the atmosphere was great.

Johnson: A massive, massive result, not just for the sake of the team but in terms of Champions League aim too. The frontline is absolutely electric and dangerous on the counters. The midfield is great. It bodes well for Newcastle away. That big win helps massively with goal difference and could make a difference between the top eight or top 16 in the Champions League. So proud.

Rob: The state of Villa's demise has been greatly exaggerated. Watch out Premier League...

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Aston Villa midfielder Johan Manzambi spoke to TNT Sports after victory against Fenerbahce: "Today was very good. We scored six goals and no goals conceded. That's very nice. For the fans it's amazing.

"Very happy. My first Champions League game and my first goal - on my birthday. My family are here. That's very nice for me. Amazing team. Amazing fans. I'm very happy to play here."

Striker Nicolas Jackson told TNT Sports: "He [Johan Manzambi] is a top player. I'm really happy we're playing together. I hope we score many more goals together.

"He [Ibrahim Mbaye] is an amazing player. We're in the [Senegal] national team together. Hopefully he'll get more time to play. He's very fast. It's good to have him."

On whether he wanted to take the penalty for a hat-trick chance: "Yeah I wanted to take it but the most important thing is we win. Hopefully next time I'll get the hat-trick.

"Very important. We haven't won at home. Our keeper is amazing."

Listen to more reaction from Unai Emery below or on BBC Sounds here

Unai Emery spoke to TNT Sports after Aston Villa's victory against Fenerbahce: "Overall it was a very good match. There are still things to improve. It was a strong result for us. Maybe Fenerbahce didn't deserve those six golas.

"Keep going forward. [It helps] confidence for us. We did some changes to get other players confidence and minutes. What we did today was fantastic. The Champions League is very difficult."

On Nicolas Jackson: "He has power to get in behind. He can drop and help as well. We need him always to be in the box when we're attacking. Brian Madjo is ready to play as well now. Jackson is our striker."

On Johan Manzambi: "Very good. He's a very nice guy. Very professional. A very good team-mate. How he's adapted to us is very good."

Did you know?

• Aston Villa have recorded their biggest ever win in major European competition, and their biggest victory under manager Unai Emery across all competitions.

• Aston Villa's Johan Manzambi (21 today) became the second player to score on his UEFA Champions League debut on his birthday alongside Spartak Moscow's Romulo vs Barcelona in September 2012 (22 years old) - Unai Emery was Spartak Moscow's manager for that game also.

Starting XI:

Zion Suzuki: Made two important saves from Verdat Muriqi in the first half and turned Oguz Aydin's shot on to the bar. Villa always held control but had Suzuki to make sure of it. 7

Matty Cash: Shot straight at Ederson with Villa already 3-0 up and saw a drive deflected wide in the second half. He was rarely troubled in defence. 7

Pau Torres: Headed over as Villa chased a second goal and was steady as he made his return to the starting line up. 7

Victor Lindelof: Made an important block to deny Oguz Aydin as the visitors tried to get back into the game. Rarely lets Villa down. 7

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Drafted in at left-back to cover injuries and marshalled Mason Greenwood. 7

Ross Barkley: Headed over early and set up Jackson for his second goal before scoring twice, including from the spot, to make it a rout. 8

Boubacar Kamara: Won the ball to set up Jackson before the break and kept Villa moving in the midfield in another fine and understated display. 8

John McGinn: Another influential display and the captain provided the cross which led to Villa's first and he also tested Ederson early in the second half. 8

Johan Manzambi: Celebrated his 21st birthday with a deflected opener to give Villa the lead and he looked to dictate attacks. 8

Ibrahim Mbaye: A lively start and found space but struggled to find the end product, even against Fenerbahce's fragile defence. 7

Nicolas Jackson: Four goals in three games for the striker, with Aston Villa fans rapidly forgetting Ollie Watkins. Jackson has clicked into gear under Unai Emery. 8

Substitutes:

Joao Gomes (on 73, Manzambi): 6

Alysson (on 73, Kamara): 6

Alejandro Garnacho (on 79, Mbaye)

Leon Goreztka (on 83, Barkley)

Tammy Abraham (on 78, Jackson) 6: Added the final flourish with an easy tap in.

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Get in touch with your views here

Come back to this page on Thursday to find a selection of your replies

There are nine games in the Champions League on Wednesday as the 36-team league phase continues and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Feyenoord v Como (17:45)

• LASK v Liverpool (17:45)

• Aston Villa v Fenerbahce

• Bodo/Glimt v Borussia Dortmund

• Manchester City v Paris St-Germain - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Real Betis v Porto

• Roma v Real Madrid

• Shakhtar Donetsk v AEK Athens

• Slovan Bratislava v Stuttgart

Kick-off times 20:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Champions League commentary on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Man City v PSG" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Manchester City match".

Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One from 22:40 to 00:00.

How to follow the Champions League on the BBC

New this season: Live match updates

Fans of Premier League clubs can now get real-time scores live on their phone lock screen for every game.

Simply follow your favourite football teams on the BBC Sport app for updates throughout the 2026-27 season.

Find out more here

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New this season: Match of the Day Predictor

Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

Players can join at any time, get involved with the latest round and start building a streak.

Read more about it here

You can find the predictor in the navigation bar at the top of this page, or on this link

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

"No excuses," said Unai Emery.

The Aston Villa head coach was talking about his team's form amid Villa Park's rebuild.

The North Stand is a shell and currently closed for building work as the club increases the stadium's capacity to over 50,000.

It is part of the club's plan to help Villa bridge the financial gap in the Premier League, but they may have to endure some short-term pain for long-term gain.

"It is something to improve us for the future," said the Spaniard.

"We must try to be together and without 7,000 supporters we must push everyone. We must play better football, compete better, be more focused. Those are more important than the stand.

"We are realistic with how we are working, improving. The things are not [good] enough yet, a lot of conversations with the team, meetings, video, practising and each match trying to show and improve."

Champions Arsenal and Nottingham Forest have already claimed three points at Villa Park this season, with unbeaten Brentford taking a point.

Nicolas Jackson's equalising goal against the Bees was the first Villa had scored in front of the skeleton that was their North Stand this season.

Yet Villa's home struggles are not new. Since the turn of the year they have lost the aura of invincibility which Emery has brought since his arrival almost four years ago.

Between November 2022 and January 2026, they lost just eight of 61 home Premier League games, winning 44 of them.

That included 15 straight wins between March 2023 and December 2023.

They also went 12 months unbeaten in the top flight between August 2024 and August 2025, but since the turn of the year Villa have been fragile at home in comparison.

Read more on the Villa Park revamp

Matt Jones
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa will be on the hunt for their first home win of the season when they welcome Fenerbahce to Villa Park on Wednesday. After a 2-2 draw with Brentford on Saturday, Villa have now only won four of their past 12 home league matches.

Head coach Unai Emery will hope a change of competition will spark a change in fortunes for his team, although a Fenerbahce team packed with Premier League experience will be a threat.

The Turkish giants are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2008-09 and come into the game after a 3-0 win at Rizespor in the Turkish Super Lig. After a tricky start to the season, they are now up to fourth in the Turkish top flight.

Did you know?

• Villa have won all three of their meetings with Fenerbahce, the most recent being a 1-0 away victory in the Europa League in January.

• In terms of average age, only Napoli (29 years 71 days) had an older starting XI than Fenerbahce (29 years 25 days) in the opening matchround of this season's Champions League. It was the oldest XI they have named in 41 Champions League games.

Image source, Getty Images

Key Fenerbahce player - Vedat Muriqi

The Kosovo striker has been in red-hot form this season and scored four times in the 8-0 win over Eyupspor before the international break.

Muriqi signed a three-year contract with Fenerbahce in the summer after scoring 23 La Liga goals for Mallorca last season, the best return of his club career.

His nickname at Mallorca was 'The Pirate', owing to his goal celebration of covering one eye.

Fenerbahce squad summary

Fenerbahce's squad is packed with former Premier League players, including goalkeeper Ederson, defenders Nathan Ake and Nelson Semedo, midfielders Mateo Guendouzi and N'Golo Kante, and forwards Mason Greenwood and Romelu Lukaku.

Marco Asensio will also come up against his old club. The Spain forward scored eight goals in a loan spell with Villa in 2025, including three in the Champions League.

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Champions League game against Fenerbache at Villa Park (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Midfielder Leon Goretzka has returned from injury and is available for his debut. However, defender Matteo Ruggeri is unavailable for "more than one month", after he was forced off with injury against Brentford.

• On Ian Maatsen's injury: "He is not yet available. I think he is getting better and he should be joining us in a few days or a week, so it's positive."

• George Hemmings is similarly unavailable with a "small pain," but could return for Saturday's match against Newcastle.

• On the importance of playing in the Champions League: "It is a huge challenge and an exciting moment that we can share in Villa Park. We remind ourselves of 1982, when we won this title, and of how much we enjoyed it two years ago."

• More on their previous campaign: "Being in the top eight was a really amazing achievement. The objective is the same but we know it is very difficult. We must win five or six matches out of eight, more or less."

• On playing in the competition at Villa Park with an empty stand: "One handicap is having fewer supporters, but at the start of the season it was something the club decided to improve for the future. No excuses, we must try to get together without 7,000 supporters and play better football."

Follow Tuesday's European news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to Matty Cash speaking to the media below or on BBC Sounds here

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Imagine a world where Manchester City had not used "sham contracts" to build a team capable of winning three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three EFL Cups.

If City were the winners, then there had to be losers - and not just those teams who finished runners-up or lost cup finals.

The potential impact runs much deeper and includes missed Champions League qualification, relegation and Premier League prize money.

Thirty-five other teams played in the English top flight between 2009 and 2018.

And every one could in some way claim to have been left financially out of pocket.

Learn more about how the numbers were calculated here

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Brentford.

Here are some of your comments:

Villa fans

Prit: Villa slowly and steadily improving, but we really need to finish the chances we create. It looks like Jackson and Manzambi are creating a strong partnership, but I am still concerned about our defence as teams easily go through them. But, Brentford have shown this season they are hard to play against. We lost to them three times last season and, while I would have liked to take the win, I am happy for the draw. Glass is still half full.

Luyimbaazi: The defence still needs to adjust. Maybe it's time for Taylor Harwood-Bellis to earn some minutes in the league, especially now the current defence seems to be in disarray. Hopefully we shall get to see Madjo too.

Alan: An improvement on the Nottingham Forest game but Villa couldn't match the intensity of a very physical Brentford, who will surprise a few this season. Totally inept refereeing didn't help much either for both sides, but particularly Villa in the first half. Fair result overall. On we go.

Gary: We need to remember that Villa are a side in rebuild mode and things will take time. We played a team high in confidence and on an unbeaten run, and we could have won the game with more ruthless finishing. That said, a draw was a fair result.

Brentford fans

Charlie: Good end-to-end football. We seemed to be closing them down in packs, quicker and in more numbers. Ref seemed a bit inconsistent on pushing and shoving and I think McGinn could have had a second yellow on more than one occasion.

Joe: While I'm pleased with the grit and the effort, it definitely looked like we were a bit out of sorts after a long international break. It felt like we'd lose out at every deflection or second ball and Villa attackers would regularly find themselves in a lot of space. Very happy that we kept ourselves in the game despite this and earned a valuable point.

Andy: Good second-half performance. Shame the ref was so bad - he spoiled what could and should have been three points for Brentford.

Stuart: A superb effort from the boys in yellow, showing great resilience to respond so quickly after McGinn's lucky deflected goal.

Laura Kenyon
Final Score reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The North Stand – currently closed for building work – has become a symbol of Aston Villa's current position: under construction. Unai Emery's side are a work in progress.

The spine of the side that won the Europa League has since departed but there are signs of a new team beginning to build.

Villa are yet to replicate anywhere near the early form we saw at the start of last season. But they display encouraging signs of renovation.

Zion Suzuki – the first Japanese goalkeeper to play in the Champions League – was a commanding presence against Brentford.

Nicolas Jackson is showing signs he could be the prolific striker Villa fans hoped he would be when replacing Ollie Watkins and becoming a club record signing.

The builders perched on the scaffolding, wearing hard hats and high-vis, had the best seat in the house to observe those performances.

There is a long way to go. The new stand is far from finished but will the new-look Villa squad be closer to a final product come their next home game against Manchester City?

Aston Villa are planning to make a loan move for 20-year-old Brazil and real Madrid forward Endrick in January. (Football Insider, external)

Villa, Arsenal and Newcastle United are chasing Norway forward Antonio Nusa, who is valued at £60m by RB Leipzig. (Ekrem Konur, external)

Villa are weighing up an £18m bid to sign Athletico Paranaense and Colombia striker Kevin Viveros, 26. (RTI Esporte - in Portuguese, external)

Everton hold the strongest interest in Rennes striker Esteban Lepaul, although Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton and Leeds United have the 26-year-old France international on their radar. (Teamtalk, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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