It’s our last night in Europe for a bit so make the most of it.
It’s the last group match and we’ve qualified already. That doesn’t happen to the Villa very often so make the most of it. Of course, there’s still something riding on the match because of prize money and getting the best draws in the knockout stages so let’s see what happens.
The other team are Salzburg, and if you think MK Dons are a bad franchise club have we got news for you. Austria Salzburg were a middling, inoffensive club who were taken over by Red Bull in 2005. Their name, their badge (just once, but they didn’t have a vote on it) and their colours were changed and some of their supporters did an FC United and formed their own club.
Red Bull Salzburg, as they became known, weren’t too bothered about losing support and history because they started winning everything in Austria, such as the league fourteen times in seventeen years including ten in a row. They tend not to do very well in the Champions League, then not much better in the Europa. Because of Uefa regulations (ie they’re not getting any money out of it) they can’t be called Red Bull in European competitions so we’re playing FC Salzburg.
Whatever their name they’re living down to their reputation this season. They’re currently 28th in the table; Maccabi are bottom, which is probably our fault. Their manager looks like the head doorman of a Berlin nightclub with an interior carved from ice that only opens on full moons and they’ve got Bobby Clark out on loan to Derby. He started off in non-league with his dad Lee, who was his club’s manager and it’s good to see both of them have made massive steps up in their careers since then.
God knows what their supporters will be like but the West Midlands’ finest will probably be taking no chances after what we’ve already seen this season. The von Trapps will be there, no doubt.
As ever, what sort of team is picked from our injury-ravaged squad is a dilemma known only in the labyrinthine vastness of Unai’s mind. This week’s new arrivals can’t play, Amadou Onana might not be worth risking so George Hemming and Lamare Bogarde in a preview of the 2030 Champions League winners midfield? Whatever the team, they’ll win.
