Steve Freeth and Graham Hunter discuss Aston Villa's remarkable run of form in the Premier League which sees Unai Emery's side firmly in the hunt for a European place.
Since taking over from previous manager Steven Gerrard in October, only Premier league leaders Arsenal have taken more points than Emery's Aston Villa, who now lie in sixth position in the table with seven games remaining.
The Villans are currently priced at 25/1 to sneak into the Premier League's top four, and 4/1 to finish in the top six.
Former Arsenal boss Emery, a four-time Europa League winner with La Liga outfits Sevilla and Villarreal, has breathed new life into a Villa side who are now not only a far more organised unit defensively but brimming with confidence going forward.
Villa's 3-0 home victory over Champions League-chasing Newcastle, their seventh victory in eight Premier League games, was a perfect illustration of how far they have come under the Spaniard's administration.
Having famously won the European Cup in 1982, and been absent from the European stage since being knocked out by Rapid Wien in the play-off rounds of the Europa League back in 2010, Villa supporters will be desperate for a new continental adventure next season.
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Striker Ollie Watkins is one of a number of Villa players to have enjoyed a new lease of life under the tutelage of Emery, with the ex-Brentford bagsman having hit 11 goals in his last 12 Premier League games to take his total to 14 for the season. Watkins is now given odds of 11/8 to hit the 20-goal mark this term.
Former club captain Tyrone Mings is in fine form alongside Ezri Konsa in front of World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emi Martinez, whilst current skipper John McGinn looks back to his best as part of the supporting cast to Watkins alongside the likes of Emi Buendia and Jacob Ramsey.
The inspirational Emery will be hoping his side's recent renaissance can continue up until the end of the campaign, so that the European specialist can once again prove his prowess against the best the continent can offer.
