Ezri eyes place at top table

EUROPA CONFERENCE ROUND OF 16, 1st leg AJAX ASTON VILLA 5.45pm, TNT Sports 3

EZRI KONSA believes Aston Villa’s dream double is on.

As Unai Emery’s men prepared for their clash with Ajax tonight, the centre-half rapped out the message that winning the Europa Conference League and qualifying for the Champions League is a realistic target.

Villa have travelled to Amsterdam as favourites to progress and, with a crunch home clash against Spurs to look forward to upon their return, this week will be pivotal if their ambitions are to be met.

Konsa (above) said: “We know this is an opportunity to win a trophy and from the beginning of the season, or even since the boss joined, that is what he wanted to do.

“He wants to win a trophy with us and that’s what we’re trying to do now.

“The mentality he has implemented has really paid off and we are showing it.

“We’ve had a lot of setbacks in our squad but it has not ruined our form or position in the league.

“No matter who is playing, everyone knows their roles, so they are confident when they do get the chance.

“We all have the mentality of wanting to win every single game and we are showing it, no matter how small our squad is.”

Konsa did concede, however, that tonight’s fixture held plenty of appeal for Emery (inset) and his squad.

He said: “No disrespect to the teams we have already played, but Ajax’s history in European football speaks for itself.

“Everyone is excited to play against such an historic club.

“They still have a lot of top players – Jordan Henderson is one of them – so we have to go there with the mentality of not being complacent and not worrying about their position in the league.”

ASTON VILLA (4-4-1-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Lenglet, Moreno; Luiz, McGinn, Tielemans, Zaniolo; Bailey; Watkins.