Victory in Monaco would move Villa within touching distance of the Champions League knockout stage - Emery and his players will be ready

Richard: First half wasn't bad. The second half, particularly after Jhon Duran came on to partner Ollie Watkins, was devoid of any creativity and drive from Villa. Monaco did well to crowd the midfield. Predicting an end-to-end, raucous finale against Celtic full of goals, but will it be enough?

Until this week, his ire was chiefly aimed towards the officials and why, in his mind, Aston Villa had been “unluckier with the refereeing this season.” Advertisement Defeat in Monaco made Emery turn inwards.

With Monaco unable to finish some of their best chances and on a mixed run of form themselves, there still could have been a route back to taking points home. In a way, no great harm was done here, as Emery pointed out - "We are in the next round.

AS Monaco secured a sedate 1-0 win over Aston Villa in the UEFA Champions League to move to 13 points in the league phase, and very likely ensure that France has at leas

AS Monaco edged out Aston Villa 1-0 at home in the Champions League on Tuesday with an early goal from Wilfried Singo as the Ligue 1 side secured their first victory of the year. Monaco snapped a four-game winless run in all competitions and are amongst the seeded playoff spots in the 36-team Champions League table with 13 points.