Pau Torres insists Aston Villa can live their dreams

The Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg is another huge fixture in a hectic schedule for Unai Emery’s team, who visit Premier League leaders Arsenal less than 72 hours later.

Villa are battling to secure guaranteed qualification for the Champions League with a top-four finish, while also trying to take another step toward ending the club’s 28-year trophy drought by progressing in Europe. Despite an increasingly injury-depleted squad, Torres believes both are still possible.

“We have a really good squad and a really good team, with enough players to play 100 per cent in each game,” he said. “We are working on it. This week is a hard week, a tough week, but we need to keep fighting. For me both competitions are so important. This month-and-a-half is the most crucial and every player is focused on it.”

Torres’ fellow centre-back Clement Lenglet is the latest player to be sidelined with what Emery described as a “small problem” while Matty Cash is close to recovering from a hamstring injury but will again miss out.

Emery insisted his team selection would not be impacted by the proximity of Sunday’s return to his former club. The Spaniard is seeking a fifth European trophy, having won the Europa League four times with Torres part of his most recent success with Villarreal in 2021.

“Unai knows these competitions,” said Torres. “He has so much experience. He knows how to prepare really well every game and analyse the other teams. When the game starts we know exactly how the opponents are going to play.”

Lille sit fourth in the French League and in 20-goal top scorer Jonathan David possess a player tipped for a move to the Premier League.

“He has power, speed, he’s a really good player,” said Torres. “We need to keep focused on every player. We need to keep working as a team and control every player.”