Ezri Konsa exclusive: Aston Villa 'here to compete' in UEFA Champions League as surprise package chase knockouts
Updated 21/01/2025 at 10:31 GMT
Aston Villa return to UEFA Champions League action away at AS Monaco on Tuesday, aiming to continue an impressive campaign of European football. Unai Emery's side are strongly placed to secure a top-eight finish and qualify automatically for the round of 16. Defender Ezri Konsa told TNT Sports how their journey in the Champions League this season has been "a dream come true".
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Ezri Konsa has said that playing in the UEFA Champions League is a "dream come true" as Aston Villa prepare to face AS Monaco, where a win will push them closer to qualifying for the last 16.
Villa have been a surprise package in Europe this season, sitting fifth in the league phase table with 13 points from six matches.
Defender Konsa is not taking The Villans' journey for granted as he spoke about how much it meant to him ahead of the Monaco clash – live on TNT Sports and discovery+ on Tuesday.
"It's a competition that I've always wanted to play in myself," the 27-year-old told TNT Sports. "You know, as a kid, watching Champions Leagues, Man United and Chelsea in the final.
"Those are memories that I'll never forget, and it was something I always wanted to do. So to finally be here, it's a dream come true."
Unai Emery's side come into the tie off the back of a huge result against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.
Having gone 2-0 down, Villa fired back with two goals before withstanding a last-gasp surge from The Gunners to secure a draw.
Konsa continued: "We know that our away form isn't the best but looking at our last two results away, a clean sheet [a 1-0 win at Everton] and a good draw at Arsenal. Hopefully, tomorrow we can get three points.
"I think it showed our togetherness, showed how resilient we are. We know going to a place like Arsenal is always tough, and to go 2-0 down, I think as players it's a bit demoralizing, but to show the fact that we did was amazing.
"A Champions League game is always tough, no matter where you are in the league, I don't think that matters at all.
"We have to come into the game fully focused, 90-minute game, make sure that we do everything right.
"We'll focus on ourselves at the end of the day and we know what we need to do tomorrow, and hopefully we can we can go out there and perform."
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Monaco, meanwhile, are 16th in the league phase table and are yet to taste victory in 2025, with their last win coming in the French Cup on December 22.
They opened their European campaign with a huge 2-1 win over Barcelona and have registered 12 goals in the tournament so far.
The club have also had 10 different goalscorers in the competition, offering plenty of threats all across the park.
"We know that they've got great players," Konsa added. "The striker [Breel Embolo] I played against in the Euros in the quarter-finals. So I know how tough he is and how good he is.
"We just gotta make sure that we're ready."
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Emery expecting 'very difficult' test against Monaco as Villa aim to advance
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Despite the centre being his preferred position, Konsa has often been fielded at right-back by Emery and has played there in four of Villa's Champions League games.
"I'm used to it, I did it last season," Konza explained. "I think it's good to be able to play in different positions, especially when the team needs you most. I've done a job for the boss at right back, at centre-half.
"Obviously, centre-half is my position, but to play right-back, I don't mind. As long as I'm helping the team and I'm on the pitch, it's fine."
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He is, however, thankful to be reunited with Tyrone Mings in the backline, who has started the last four games for Villa since spending a long time out with a knee injury.
"It’s amazing, it's a great feeling," Konza said of playing with Mings. "The chemistry that I've got with him on and off the pitch is unmatched, so to be able to play alongside him again, it's brilliant and he's doing amazingly well. I don't think we've lost a game since I played alongside him. So long may that continue."
Three points against Monaco could propel Villa as high as second, depending on other results.
With how congested the league phase table is, with three points separating 19th-placed Club Brugge from third-placed Arsenal, a win is vital to securing qualification.
"It's a great position. I don't think anyone expected us to be in that position at the start of this campaign. But I think we've proved to everyone and the teams that we've come up against that we can do it, and we're not here just to be a name. We're here to compete and we're looking to qualify as well.
"Going into this game tomorrow, getting the three points and then the last one at home in front of our fans would be amazing."
When is AS Monaco v Aston Villa?
Aston Villa will travel to Stade Louis II to face AS Monaco in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, January 21.
Kick-off is 17:45 UK time, with live coverage on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate commencing at 17:00.
TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024-25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
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