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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery believes his side could have ruined their chances of automatically qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League after losing 1-0 to Monaco.
Villa are now precariously balanced in eighth place, buoyed only by their superior goal difference, having previously looked poised to avoid the play-off knockout stage.
They host Celtic on Wednesday, January 29, in the final game of the league stage, but Emery believes their top eight hopes could be over.
“When we play games like today, it’s important to get three points because I think we lost the chance to enter the top eight,” said Emery.
“Today was the key.”
The two teams were separated by eight places before the clash at the Stade Louis II, but that was quickly reduced to two places, either side of the top eight, thanks to Wilfried Sing’s header inside the first 10 minutes.
An unforced error by Tyrone Mings led to a corner for the hosts and despite a fantastic save from Emiliano Martinez who initially denied Thilo Kehrer, the Argentinian keeper could do nothing about the rebound.
His counterpart at the other end, Radoslaw Majecki, also played his part to ensure the lead remained intact on the break by getting down well to his right to tip Ollie Watkins’ only chance of the half around the post.
Not even the introduction of Jhon Duran from the bench in the 56th minute could spark Villa into life, with the visitors posing little threat after the restart apart from a Matty Cash effort that pulled a goal back.
For Monaco, it was another triumph against the English team at home, which increases their chances of automatic promotion.
They have won five of their last six home games against Premier League opposition, with Villa joining Chelsea. Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City on the list of victims.
Emery: When we played two strikers, we didn’t threaten that much
Aston Villa safe Unai Emery:
“Maybe you can be here for two days and explain it (the loss). We played 70 minutes the way I want. They had good transitions.
“We connected with our two 10s, but we attacked through the middle with passes and got into their box and created three good chances. When we played with two strikers, we lost position and didn’t threaten them as much.”
Villa’s future in the Champions League depends on Celtic
Sky Sports Patrick Rowe:
Historic wins against Young Boys, Bayern Munich, Bologna and RB Leipzig meant Emery’s men were fully focused on the top eight, but after losses to Club Brugge and now Monaco, as well as a frustrating 0-0 draw with Juventus, their chances now hinge on the home game against Celtic next week.
Emery had dreams of his side reaching 19 points before their latest defeat, but admitted 16 could be enough to get them over the line.
Attention will now quickly turn to how those around them fare – such as Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich – but next Wednesday, Villa will need to be miles ahead of the levels they displayed on Tuesday night.
Sunday, January 26, 4:00 p.m
Start at 16:30
They fell short against Monaco, which was to be expected after they did their best to bounce back against Arsenal on Saturday, but they face a similar task in the coming days.
Sandwiched between this defeat and the visit of Brendan Rodgers’ side to the ‘Second City’, Villa will host West Ham, live on Sky Sportsin a game that has equal importance in terms of the race for the top four in the Premier League.
The games continue to come thick and fast, but the opportunity to compete in the last 16 in Europe is not guaranteed.
What happens if Villa don’t make the top eight?
Teams finishing ninth to 24th enter a two-legged playoff round in February, with the winners taking the other eight places in the round of 16.
Those who finish from ninth to 16th will be seeded for the play-offs, so they will play the second game at home. Those from 17 to 24 will not be seeded, so they have the first leg at home.
Monaco players celebrate Singo’s goal
Does it matter how far Villa finish from ninth to 24th?
The new Champions League format means that the ninth-placed team faces the 24th-placed team in the play-off round. The tenth game is the 23rd, the 11th game is the 22nd, and so on.
So if you just miss out on a top eight finish, the blow is softened by playing the worst performing sides who qualified from the league stage. So the more you complete, the ‘easier’ the game is for you.
However, if the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain struggle in the league stage, Villa could face the best sides in the play-off rounds.
