By Aston Villa FC

Josep Gombau insists his players are excited and motivated, ahead of Aston Villa’s UEFA Youth League round of 32 meeting with Puskás Akadémia on Wednesday.

Villa’s under-19s side contest the club’s first-ever knockout clash in this competition against the Hungarian outfit, with action to get underway at 4pm local time (3pm GMT).

And, having taken his side’s final training session ahead of the game, at the Pancho Aréna campus in Felcsút, on the outskirts of Budapest, Gombau has called for the players to relish the opportunity and experience.

Josep Gombau

Villa’s Under-21 Head Coach said: “We are excited to play in this competition. All the boys are ready and very motivated, and just waiting for kick-off.

“It’s a very good experience for all the players and for their futures, to play in these competitions, facing very strong opposition teams.

“Coming here, these facilities are fantastic, the stadium is very nice, and all the players are looking forward to tomorrow’s game.

“For everybody, for all of us, it is a really good experience, as a youth team to come and play here in Hungary.

“The players have hunger, and we want to try to do a very good game tomorrow here, win and go through.”

Josep Gombau

Despite coming through the competition’s Domestic Champions path, rather than the league phase which saw Villa book their place in the last 32, Gombau and his players and prepared for the challenge Puskás will present.

The Spaniard is keen for the Young Lions to focus on their game, and believes a different route to the knockout stages will not have much bearing on the competitive nature of the opposition.

“They are a very strong side,” Gombau added.

“They are a team that plays very good football – very compact, very strong and very good in transitions.

“For us, it’s very important tomorrow to have the ball as much as we can, to be the team that dominates the game, to keep our structure, which is important to avoid these transitions, and attack and take control of the game.

“They played two knockout stages. We watched all the games, and they are a very good side. I think it doesn’t make any difference if you come from one stage or the other, and for us, it’s like a final. It’s the knockout stage, it’s all or nothing, and we are ready here to do a good game and try to fight for every single ball and win.

“It is a very good experience, as young players as they are, to face this competition and to travel to different countries and to play against different opposition teams, different kinds of football, weather, and different challenges.”