Zrinjski Mostar vs Aston Villa - Match preview
While tonight’s tie at Zrinjski Mostar marks the end of the Europa Conference League group stage, for Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey it will also represent something of a new beginning.
The 22-year-old is expected to make his first start for more than five months after a frustrating time on the sidelines he admits tested his mental fortitude.
Ramsey was in terrific form when he suffered a broken foot while playing for England Under-21s against Portugal in a European Championship quarter-final on July 2. He watched from back in the UK as the Young Lions won the tournament for the first time in 39 years.
After two months spent recovering, Ramsey’s domestic season was subjected to a false start when, after scoring against Brighton in his third appearance back for Villa, he suffered a recurrence of the injury and headed back to the treatment room for another seven weeks.
Having now come off the bench in all five matches since the international break, he is finally starting to feel part of things again.
“Getting injured hurts physically but I think the biggest thing people don’t realise is mentally how tough it is being out of the team and not being with the lads,” explained Ramsey.
“When you’re doing your rehab, you’re on your own with the physio and it can be a bit daunting at times when you feel a bit lost.
“With my injury I was only out for a total of 16 weeks, but Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia will be out for nine to 10 months.
“Mentally, you feel lost. You still feel part of the team but you’re not really part of the team. You’re not training, you’re not in hotels with the lads, you’re not in the team meetings.
“We’ve got amazing support from the boss and he’s always coming down to the physio room and speaking to the injured players. We’ve got top physios here, so you always come back stronger.”
While Unai Emery would have preferred for Ramsey to have been available since the start of the season, his return during such a hectic period is nicely timed.
Tonight’s match is the fourth of eight Villa will play in December and they will aim to extend an eight-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, after last week’s stunning wins over Manchester City and Arsenal sent expectations soaring to new heights.
“Right now, based on how we’re playing – the results we’re getting, especially at home – our aim should be the top four,” said Ramsey.
“If we can transfer our home form into the away fixtures, I don’t see why we can’t get top four. There are a lot of teams fighting for those Champions League spots and we’ve also got the Europa Conference League to focus on. Hopefully we can reach the latter stages of that competition.”
Villa, already guaranteed to progress from Group E, need only a point to top the standings and jump straight to the last-16, avoiding February’s play-off round.
A defeat would leave the door open for Legia Warsaw to pip them on the line, though the Polish club would need to beat AZ Alkmaar and overturn the current three-goal deficit to Villa in goal difference and goals scored.
Zrinjski, the first Bosnian team to ever qualify for the group stages of a European competition, are already out but have proven no pushovers, having beaten Alkmaar 4-3 at the 9,000-seater Bijeli Brijegom Stadion and come within a whisker of taking a point at Villa Park before John McGinn’s stoppage-time winner.
“They were very tough to break down defensively,” recalled defender Ezri Konsa. “They were good and we managed to get a goal in the last minute. We’ll do everything to prepare.
“Any team’s plan is to finish top of the group. That’s what we want to do.
“We want to learn from every game that we can and win every game we can. We’re going to go there and try to win. I’m not sure what the boss is going to do or what his ideas are for Thursday but everyone will be ready to go.”
