Matty Cash is fully aware of the threat Club Brugge will pose on Wednesday night as Aston Villa prepare for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie.
The right-back, along with manager Unai Emery, was keen to stress that Villa are ready for another tough test against the Belgian champions as they look to book their place in the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition.
The Villans, unbeaten in 15 matches on home soil in all competitions, hold a 3-1 advantage from last week’s first leg at Jan Breydelstadion.
But, with this the third time Villa will have faced Club Brugge this term, Cash is prepared for another stern challenge.
“He (Unai) has been really consistent with his message,” said the defender.
“And I think us, as players, know every team in the Champions League can be really hurtful.
“Obviously, we have the two-goal lead at the minute, but there’s been many occasions in the past where teams have been leading the first leg and then crashed out after the second.
“We have to be consistent and ready for the challenge.”
Cash added: “Our full mindset is to win the game and to do everything we can to qualify.
“I know we’ve got the two-goal lead but, for us, it’s a 0-0 game and we’re starting again.
“We want to try and win the game and it would be good if we could.”
Last week’s tie in Belgium saw Brandon Mechele’s 82nd-minute own goal and Marco Asensio’s penalty, after Cash was brought down in the area, hand Villa the initiative.
It came after Leon Bailey’s well-taken strike, with just three minutes on the clock, had earlier given the visitors the lead before Maxim De Cuyper quickly equalised.
“I did an interview after the game at Brugge and they’re a good team,” Cash added.
“Obviously, we played them a few months before and they showed how dominant they were.
“I think we had a great result there, we put in a good performance, a strong performance.
“But I think there were chances in the game at 1-1, it could have gone either way, really.
“I won the penalty and made it 3-1, which is good to get another goal, 2-1 is always a little bit risky but to go 3-1 up is really good away.
“But they’re a fantastic team, they beat Atalanta in the round before and Atalanta are really good.
“So, it shows how consistent and dominant they are.”
