Crystal Palace are back in Premier League action at Villa Park on Saturday, 23rd November (15:00) – and before kick-off, it’s time to get the lowdown on our latest opponents…
A difficult run of results has put a temporary halt to Aston Villa's quest to qualify for the Champions League for a second successive season.
It is now one win in six Premier League games under Unai Emery, seeing them slip down to ninth - although still just a point off Chelsea in third in a tightly contested race for Europe.
Add to that a defeat in Belgium to Club Brugge in the Champions League, and a defeat to Crystal Palace in the League Cup, and it is just one win in eight in all competitions since that remarkable victory over Bayern Munich at Villa Park.
Daichi Kamada scored the winner when these two sides met in the League Cup, taking Palace into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012, but with the Japan international suspended after his red card against Fulham, there is the opportunity for someone else to step up and become the hero.
Unai Emery recovered from a bruising experience at Arsenal to remind everyone why he is one of the continent’s most highly respected managers, winning the Europa League at Villarreal before transforming Aston Villa from relegation candidates to Champions League contenders.
Mile Jedinak left Palace in 2016 as one of the club’s greatest captains, joining Aston Villa for the final three years of his career and making 80 appearances.
Palace are looking to make it back-to-back wins at Villa Park after their Carabao Cup victory, while it could be three wins in a row including the 5-0 thrashing at Selhurst Park on the final day of the Premier League season.
Like so many professional football teams, Aston Villa were formed by a cricket side looking for a sport to play during the tempestuous winter months. Their first match came against a local rugby side, with the first-half played under rugby rules and the second under Association Football rules – somehow, Villa kept a clean sheet.
In 1876, Scotsman George Ramsay happened to spot the players training in Aston Park, and, having been asked to make up the numbers, impressed with his close control and skill on the ball. Soon he was made club captain and drew spectators to watch matches.
In 1888, Villa became one of the 12 founding members of the Football League, heading into the competition as the FA Cup holders. By now George Ramsay was manager, thought to be football’s first professional in the role, and he soon embarked on a golden period, winning six league titles and six FA Cups.
