Midfielder says players must not look too far ahead.
Youri Tielemans has called on Villa to not think about ending the club’s trophy drought and instead focus on beating Bologna on Thursday night.
Unai Emery’s men are big favourites to progress through the Europa League quarter-final, holding a 3-1 lead from last week’s first leg.
That would put them just three matches from potentially ending Villa’s 30-year wait for silverware yet midfielder Tielemans has warned it is dangerous to look too far ahead.
Villa were beaten in the semi-finals of the Conference League in 2024 and also in the FA Cup last-four by Crystal Palace a year ago.
Tielemans said: “You play to win it, that’s my mentality and the mentality for many players in the squad.
“But when you get there you play as well as you can and try not to think about the end moment.
“That is where you can get carried away sometimes. We need to play as we’re doing and win these games.”
Tielemans acknowledged Villa cannot afford a similarly slow start to the one they made in Italy last Thursday.
Emery’s team were fortunate not to fall behind when Bologna saw a goal ruled out for a marginal offside by VAR, while the home side also hit the bar before Ezri Konsa broke the deadlock just before the break.
Tielemans believes the sluggish showing was in part down to the match having been Villa’s first in 18 days but conceded they must be quicker out of the blocks, against opponents who will be desperate to get back in the tie.
“Maybe you could say (Bologna were unlucky) but last week was our first game back and you have to take that into consideration,” he said.
“It’s always getting back into rhythm, playing together, being used to playing together.
“We had a bit of a slow start in the first half and they had a goal disallowed but we worked really hard on keeping that line and it paid off.
“We scored just before half-time which put us well in the game. Other than that we didn’t concede many chances. But it is true we had a bit of a slow start and tomorrow we can’t have that.”
Youri Tielemans in training at Bodymoor Heath.placeholder image
Youri Tielemans in training at Bodymoor Heath. | PA
Villa and Tielemans have everything to play for over the season’s final five-and-a-half weeks.
In addition to glory in the Europa League, the team are also well-placed to secure a top-five Premier League finish.
Emi Martinez and Tyrone Mings, who both missed Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest through injury, have returned to training, while Jadon Sancho is also back available following a shoulder injury. Bologna defender Jhon Lucumi is suspended after the yellow card he received in the first leg.
Tielemans, who has started the last two matches after his own return from injury, said: “We are firing, we are all fit and hopefully we can all stay fit.
“That is the main goal. I am sure if we are then our heads and mentalities are moving in the right direction.
“We can feel we are in a good moment. We have some momentum, playing for the highest places in Premier League and a quarter-final of the Europa League.
“We are aware of where we are. We know our qualities and we deserve to be there because we worked hard for it and got some really good results. It’s a good time for us and we want to keep it until the end of the season.”
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