Ollie Watkins Said He’s Read for HŠK Zrinjski challenge
Ollie Watkins anticipates that Thursday’s match between Aston Villa and HŠK Zrinjski will be a challenging one.
When the two sides met in the rematch in early October, Villa was the more dominant team. However, John McGinn’s dramatic late victory didn’t come until the 94th minute.
The Villans had practically finished the game and gained their first points in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Although Unai Emery’s team has already guaranteed their berth in the knockout stages going into matchday six, they are aware that they still need a point to secure first place and a direct path to the Round of 16.
“It’s going to be a tough match,” said Watkins at Wednesday’s pre-match media conference.
“The experience of coming away to stadiums in Europe has always been difficult.
“Like the boss said, our first game against Legia, they made it very difficult and we didn’t come away with a victory.
“So, it’s not as easy as people think to come to places like this and win.
“We’ll be approaching the game with a strong mindset and respecting everyone coming into the game.”
Watkins and co threw everything at their Group E opponents back at Villa Park but were denied time and again by Zrinjski goalkeeper Marko Maric.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Premijer Liga winners, come into the game with three points following four straight losses following a dramatic 4-3 triumph over AZ Alkmaar on matchday one.
Striker Watkins, who has scored 13 goals this season, is optimistic about the Villans’ chances of making it to Europe. The group intends to conclude their campaign in the group stage with a successful outcome.
He went on to say, “I think the team has complete faith in themselves regardless of the game we play.”
We have a distinct identity and like to play in a particular way.
“Therefore, we are always confident that we can defeat our opponent in any game we play, and it goes from there.”
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