The Eagles are making all sorts of headlines with the impressive away form, but it is back to Selhurst Park for a midweek match up with Aston Villa.
Ahead of the game, we had a chat with the Ellis Burnett to find out about their season so far, their Champions League journey, thoughts on the game, and much more.
TEB – The reverse fixture between our sides finished as a high scoring draw back in November. Casting your mind back, what are your thoughts on that result?
EB – The reverse fixture was a frustrating one, I remember we were coming off a difficult run of games and we were struggling to perform. Ultimately, we had to rely on the Ross Barkley equaliser but we certainly were not at our best.
TEB – It’s been a strong season for Aston Villa currently sitting 7th in the Premier League, qualifying for the next stage of the Champions League and looking ahead to a home draw against Cardiff City in the FA Cup 5th round. What are your thoughts on the season so far?
EB – Weirdly, it’s been an oddly frustrating season. It started off very well but ultimately we are now seeing the effects of a very busy schedule where fatigue is clear to see. We have had some massive results this season (1-0 Bayern, 2-1 at City) but that’s also been joined with some disappointing results (both draws at Ipswich).
TEB – Villa’s Champions League journey has been very impressive this season and the draw could potentially see you face Liverpool in the Quarterfinals. Can you see Emery going all the way in the competition despite other commitments?
The Champions league has been an absolute dream so far. As I mentioned before, the win against Bayern was incredible and the celebrations when we secured a top 8 spot against Celtic were as good as any. The only downside has been our performances in games in the league after European nights where we have struggled.
In terms of how far can we go, I think we can get the better of Club Brugge over the two legs so that sees us up against PSG or Liverpool which could well be a step too far over two legs. I just hope it’s not Liverpool that knock us out. Even if it is though, a Champions League Quarter Final would be immense.
TEB – The January transfer window looked strong for Villa with the likes of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford among others being brought in. How would you rate the business done by Villa?
On Transfer Deadline Day I rated our transfer window 9/10, but having seen them all integrated into the team it’s very nearly a 10/10. Of course, the headline two are Rashford and Asensio who have been world class for us and really offer something new. However, the addition of Donyell Malen has been exciting and a good replacement for Jhon Duran who we made a lot of money on.
Axel Disasi has impressed as well in his games showing a strong defender who is comfortable on the ball, a definite upgrade on the outgoing Diego Carlos for less wages. But the player that has impressed the most for me has been Andreas Garcia who we bought from the Spanish second division. What a player! So calm and comfortable and not afraid to take a player on down that wing.
TEB – Expectations for the rest of this season? What do you feel would make the season a success for a club in Villa’s position?
The remainder of the season will be interesting. As I’ve already said I think we’ll make the Quarter Finals of the Champions League, which is insane. In terms of the league, the target has to be at the very minimum Europa League but there’s still a small, slightly optimistic side of me that thinks we can secure a Champions League spot for the second season running. However, the FA Cup is what excites me the most, with a few big names already knocked out we have to be putting all our energy into winning this competition and finally bringing silverware back to Villa Park. That would make this season phenomenal.
TEB – On paper the Aston Villa team looks very strong. Is there a weak link that Palace should be looking to exploit at all?
If, and it’s a big if, we were able to play our strongest eleven I am genuinely unsure where our weak point would lie. Unfortunately, the amount of games we have played (will be 5 in 14 days), we will have to play a rotational side so our team will be a bit unpredictable. Outside our strongest eleven, I’d say we are weakest in the full-back area on both sides. All in all, I think you’ll target our dodgy back line.
TEB – Expectations for the game this Tuesday including final score prediction?
I’m not expecting a special performance this time round. Again, we have played a lot of games but it’s important we start picking up scrappy wins and push our position in the table. I know you are coming off a run of positive results so I do think it’ll be a challenge but I think the quality in our squad will allow us to just edge it 2-1.
