Douglas Luiz believes a win over Brighton – which could secure Champions League qualification on Sunday night – would give Aston Villa the confidence they need to then overturn a two-goal deficit in Piraeus next week and reach the Europa Conference League final.
Villa lost 4-2 at home to Olympiacos on Thursday night as Ayoub El Kaabi bagged a hat-trick for the Greek side. His third goal came just moments after Moussa Diaby levelled the game up at 2-2 in the 52nd minute after he also assisted Ollie Watkins in first half added time.
El Kaabi scored his third from the spot as Luiz was penalised for a handball, before Santiago Hezze added a fourth in the 67th minute. But Luiz’s night got worse when he missed a penalty late in the match, which would have put Villa in a better position to win the semi-final second leg at the Karaiskakis Stadium next Thursday if he had converted past Kostas Tzolakis.
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While Villa faced Olympiacos, top four challengers Tottenham fell to a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, their third defeat on the spin. It leaves Villa with an opportunity to pile the pressure on Spurs before they face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday (4:30pm kick-off).
If Villa beat Brighton, a defeat for Tottenham would secure Champions League football for Unai Emery’s side. And Luiz believes the perfect weekend could give Villa even greater impetus to make a dramatic comeback against Olympiacos next week.
“Exactly, it would give more confidence for us,” Luiz admitted. “I think we played so good today. The truth, my opinion, is we played so good. But we conceded four goals so we need to go next week, keep a clean sheet and score two goals.
“Of course, the game is not over. We can come back strong. I feel so sad because I think we played really well. We didn’t deserve to lose 4-2 but we have to try and change the result next week.”
Luiz continued: “I was not very happy with my handball. I saw the picture and it was a clear penalty. Then I missed the penalty as well. I am confident. I have scored, I think, six penalties. This is the first I have missed but that is football.
“I am not happy today but I need to get my head up and really focus in the Premier League too. Today is good because Tottenham lost, so we are happy there.
“We need to train more. I need to train with penalties and change my head and then try to make things positive.”
After full-time, Luiz made a point of apologising to supporters in all four stands at Villa Park, holding his hands up to fans.
“I know I didn’t need to do that, but at the same time I feel like if I was a fan, I hope a player can make this for the fans,” the midfielder said. “I just think about myself from the side of the fans.”
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
