Tielemans keen to keep positive feeling

Youri Tielemans has called for Aston Villa to try and maintain the positive feeling in the dressing room, as they prepare to take on Bologna in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League Quarter-Final tie.

Unai Emery’s men sit fourth in the Premier League with six games remaining, while bidding to book their spot in the last four of the prestigious European competition at Villa Park on Thursday (ko 8pm).

The Belgian discussed the Villans’ ambitions for the remainder of the campaign, and how they approaching one game at a time.

Speaking at Villa’s pre-match press conference alongside Emery at Bodymoor Heath on Wednesday afternoon, he said: “I think we can feel (that) we’re in a good moment. We’ve got some momentum.

“We’re playing for the highest places in the Premier League and then a Quarter-Final in the Europa League, but we’re aware of where we are.

“We know our qualities, and we deserve to be there because we work hard for it, and we got some really good results over the last few months.

“It’s just a good time for us, and we just want to keep it until the end of the season.

“Obviously, you play to win it. That’s my mentality, but that’s also the mentality for many other players in the squad, and when you get there, you just have to make sure that you play the game as good as you can play and not think about the end moment, because that’s where you can get carried away sometimes.

“I’d say we just need to keep playing like we’re doing, and hopefully win those games.”

Reflecting on the first leg in Italy last week, Tielemans admitted it took he and his teammates a while to rediscover their rhythm, having not played for close to three weeks.

He is looking forward to another special European night in front of the home faithful in B6, and is aiming to ensure the Villans make a better start to proceedings this week.

The midfielder added: “Last week was our first game back after the international break. We have to take that into consideration, knowing that we hadn’t played at the weekend, and that first game back is always getting back into rhythm, playing together, being used to playing together.

“We had a bit of a slow start in the first half and they had a goal disallowed, but we work really hard on keeping that line, and it paid off (in) that moment.

“We scored just before half-time, so that put us well in the game. Other than that, I don’t think we conceded many chances apart from that crossbar, maybe, but it’s true that we had a bit of a slow start and tomorrow we can’t have it.

“It is massively important, our supporters, and in our home, we know how strong we can be, but it’s mainly due to them, because they just push us over the line sometimes and to have them behind us and listening to that noise, it’s special.

“As players, we don’t take it for granted when they’re there for us, it’s really good and important for us.”

Watch the full pre-match press conference with Tielemans and Emery now via VillaTV, by clicking below…