TIELE TIME

Villa's Youri: We are all ready... PSG hold no fear for us

- KEITH WEBSTER

FIVE years ago, as Covid gripped the world, Aston Villa's first season back in the Premier League finished on a knife-edge.

By one point, the Villans escaped dropping straight back into the Championship, grabbing a lifeline in 17th place as Bournemouth, Watford and Norwich took the plunge.

Having gone from there to 11th, 14th, seventh and fourth in successive seasons, they now find themselves in a position supporters – even those with memories of conquering Europe in 1982 – can scarcely believe.

Yet for Youri Tielemans, who joined manager Unai Emery's Second City revolution two years ago, sitting before the world's media in Paris on the eve of a Champions League quarter-final now seems the most natural thing imaginable.