Unai Emery's Aston Villa return to europe's elite ahead of Young Boy's UCL trip

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is set to lead his team back into European competition for the first time in over a decade when they travel to Switzerland to face Young Boys in the Europa Conference League play-off round first leg on Thursday.

Villa finished sixth in the Premier League last season, securing a place in the newly-created third-tier European competition. They will be looking to make a strong start to their campaign against a Young Boys side who finished second in the Swiss Super League last season.

Emery is a experienced European campaigner, having won the Europa League three times with Sevilla. He will be hoping to use his know-how to guide Villa to success in this competition.

Villa have a strong squad on paper, with the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Ollie Watkins, and Emiliano Martinez in their ranks. They will be confident of beating Young Boys and progressing to the group stage.

The match will be a tough test for Villa, but they will be confident of getting a positive result. They have a good record in Europe, and they will be looking to continue that form against Young Boys.

The match will be played at the Stade de Suisse in Bern, Switzerland. Kick-off is at 17:45 BST.

Here is a preview of the match:

• Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions.
• Young Boys have won their last three matches in all competitions.
• The two teams have never met before in European competition.
• Aston Villa are the favorites to win the match.
• The match will be a tough test for both teams.

Here are some key players to watch:

• Philippe Coutinho (Aston Villa)
• Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
• Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
• Meschack Elia (Young Boys)
• Vincent Sierro (Young Boys)

Here is a prediction for the match:

Aston Villa to win 2-1.