Morgan Rogers knows Aston Villa supporters can have a “massive” impact on the club’s UEFA Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain, and insists the squad are full of belief and determination.
Villa host PSG looking to overturn a two-goal deficit if they’re to make the semi-finals of the competition, trailing 3-1 from last week’s first leg in Paris.
Rogers’ opener for the Villans in the French capital means he has been directly involved in six European goals for Villa this term - only two English players aged under 23 have ever had more goal involvements in a single season of the competition (Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka).
It promises to be another special night under the lights at Villa Park, with the club’s fans creating a memorable atmosphere for our European nights in B6.
And Rogers, when asked how important that support will be, was clear in his response as Villa look to overcome the Parisians.
“Massive,” he replied.
“Two-legged ties, that’s the whole purpose of it.
“You get your advantage at home, especially in the position we’re in, the second leg being at home. I think that’s massive for us.
“We can create a real atmosphere, we’ve done it this season in the big games, not just Champions League but in the big league games as well.”
Rogers continued: “They (the fans) are a massive push and a massive boost for us.
“We’re going to need them again tomorrow night – that energy, that feeling, that vibe.
“Sometimes it’s bigger than the actual game, in the sense of that’s what drives you on.
“You can forget about all the tactics, all the intricate stuff we’re going to work on.
“Sometimes it’s just about that sheer energy, heart and determination within the stadium – that we connect with the fans and the fans connect with us.
“That can be enough to pull you through tough moments and get you to where you need to go.
“It’s going to be massive. We need every bit of support and we’ll feed off that.”
"We’re going to need them (the fans) again tomorrow night – that energy, that feeling, that vibe. Sometimes it’s bigger than the actual game, in the sense of that’s what drives you on. You can forget about all the tactics, all the intricate stuff we’re going to work on. Sometimes it’s just about that sheer energy, heart and determination within the stadium – that we connect with the fans and the fans connect with us. That can be enough to pull you through tough moments and get you to where you need to go. It’s going to be massive. We need every bit of support and we’ll feed off that.”
Morgan Rogers
The Villans head into the encounter unbeaten in 17 home matches stretching back to late November, with Villa Park playing host to its first quarter-final among Europe’s elite since 1983.
Unai Emery has only lost one of his 13 home matches in major European competition as Villa manager, winning 11 of those.
And Rogers insists he and his team-mates will give it everything to progress from the tie and reach the last four.
“There’s massive belief,” said Rogers.
“Most people wrote us off before the tie. In the first leg, I think we gave a pretty good account of ourselves.
“Of course, there’s details and areas we want to improve upon and learn from for the second leg.
“But, ultimately, we know what they’re like now we’ve played them.
“We feel more comfortable in that sense having already played them.
“There’s a task at hand and we know what we need to do.
“But we’re excited. Under the lights at home, playing in this competition in the quarter-finals. There’s not many better places to be.
“If anyone’s going to turn it around, it’s going to be us.
“It’s down to us and we’re excited for that challenge. We’re looking forward to it.
“We know it’s going to be difficult. We’re not saying we’re going to do it, by any stretch of the imagination, but we’re definitely going to give it a go and go out to win, 100 per cent.”
