“I don’t care” – Manager plays tough ahead of potential Aston Villa meeting

Celta Vigo manager Claudio Giráldez has insisted he doesn’t care if they draw Aston Villa in the Europa League.

Estadio Deportivo cover comments from him today, made to Movistar+ following his side’s progression on Thursday.

The Spanish club progressed to the Europa League last 16 on Thursday with a win over Greek side PAOK. They are now set to face either Aston Villa or Lyon, with the draw set for today.

That’s a tough assignment either way for Celta. Both clubs finished top of the league phase, with 21 points from eight games. The French club ultimately took top spot thanks to goal difference.

Aston Villa or Lyon awaits 

Neither side has won the competition before but are the current favourites this season thanks to their current records and perceived squad depths. But Giráldez has insisted he doesn’t care about who comes out of the hat.

“I don’t really care,” he said.

“Both are going to be very difficult. They were the best teams in the group stage. They’re fresher than us because they’ve had a break in this round.

“From now on, everything is going to get much more complicated, and we have to embrace that challenge and enjoy being in the round of 16 and dream of reaching the quarterfinals. That’s what we have to focus on.”

That’s not to say Giráldez isn’t aware of either team, particularly Aston Villa. His knowledge of them comes thanks to a knowledge of Unai Emery.

The Aston Villa coach is pretty much the Europa League specialist, holding the record for the most competition wins with four. He is also the only managed in history to take charge of 100 games in the competition.

Unai Emery power

Furthermore, he has the highest points-per-game record for any manager with other 50 games in the competition and has reached the final in five of his last six full Europa League campaigns. History then, could be on his side again, something Giráldez is aware of.

“I don’t have in-depth knowledge of either team,” he added.

“I’ve watched them as a fan, but I haven’t stopped to analyse either of them. We have enough on our plate with all the matches we have. We’ve had a heavy load of important games lately. After the draw, we’ll focus on whoever we get.

“We obviously know Unai Emery, we know Aston Villa, and we know their players. And we know perfectly well what Olympique Lyonnais can do to us. Honestly, I don’t care which one we face.”