Yahoo News Aston Villa sent Arsenal warning as Olympiacos boss explains plan to cause Europa Conference League shock
There wasn't a spare seat in the Villa Park media room tonight as travelling Greek reporters packed in for Olympiacos' pre-match press conference ahead of the club's first European semi-final against Aston Villa on Thursday night.
Earlier this afternoon, there was a real buzz around Bodymoor Heath as Villa prepared for their first European semi-final clash in 42 years, following their European Cup success back in 1982. Among all the hype and excitement, Unai Emery and compatriot Jose Luis Mendilibar were relaxed - they are no strangers to these occasions.
"4-1 [titles] to Mr Emery," Mendilibar said as he cut across a reporter, unwilling to put himself on the same level as the Villa boss. Mendilibar won the Europa League with Sevilla last season, a competition which Emery won in three consecutive campaigns at the Andalusian club.
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"My title is very fresh, it was recent," the 63-year-old continued. "[Emery] loves European competitions. It is something different. Whoever the manager is of the opponent, the important thing is the players. We are here to guide and prepare them, but the players make the difference."
Ollie Watkins has so often been that for Villa this season. He will be hoping to add to his goal tally on Thursday night after already bagging 26 goals in all competitions so far this campaign.
Mendilibar and his striker Youssef El-Arabi - who was also in attendance in this evening's press conference - both grinned when asked about Watkins and how Olympiacos stop him from scoring.
“He is a very important player, but this is a European game and we have great motivation," El-Arabi said. "Let’s wait and see who will score first.
"We have watched the analysis of Aston Villa and these sort of games will be judged on fine margins. It is very important for us to score tomorrow."
Mendilibar added: “Of course he is a great player, but it’s not just him there are another 10. We are prepared to face not just Watkins, but the whole Aston Villa line-up. We have done our analysis and we know their strong points. We plan to face them as a team."
Mendilibar is Sevilla's third coach this season and his side have been free-scoring since his arrival back in mid-February. He has made good use of Moroccan striker Ayoub El Kaabi, who has scored five goals in six games in the competition since they dropped out of the Europa League.
Olympiacos have scored 39 goals in all competitions in 17 games since Mendilibar's arrival. Earlier in the competition, they beat Ferencvaros before Maccabi Tel Aviv played their part in a remarkable contest that ended 7-5 on aggregate after Olympiacos won the second leg 6-1 after extra-time.
"The reason why we are here is because we have done something right," Mendilibar explained. "We have to get better still, but we will carry on our way. We want to see Olympiacos play well and then have the chance to win the game and make the final. But no, we are not going to change anything. The opponent is not relevant, just because they are strong does not mean we have to change.
“Aston Villa is a very strong team. Just because they are a Premier League team doesn’t mean we need to change our style or how we approach the game. We will try to be as good as possible.
"We are facing a very big Premier League club, but we must not be scared of them. It is a tough game, but we mustn't not believe we can’t win. We have lots of respect for Aston Villa but we can still win the game.
"It could be a win or a draw, it depends how the game evolves. In order to make the final, we have to play well for 180 minutes. We have to focus on the first leg - our aim is to win tomorrow."
Back in 2021, Arsenal were sent crashing out of the Europa League on away goals after Olympiakos stunned Mikel Arteta's side with a 2-1 victory to book their place in the last 16. El-Arabi popped up in the 119th minute to shock the Emirates and cap a historic night for the Greek side.
"It is a nice story and I am here to help as much as I can," the striker said. "The important thing is that the team performs tomorrow. We are here to make more historic moments."
