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Aston Villa FC Logo
Matty Cash wants Aston Villa to rediscover their power at Villa Park when they welcome UEFA Champions League football back to B6 on Wednesday night.
Cash and co face Fenerbahçe on Matchday Two, looking for a maiden home victory of the 2026/27 season.
Villa have won their past ten European matches at Villa Park, dating back to the club’s previous Champions League campaign, and the right-back is keen to continue that run.
“The manager always speaks about how important it is at home to make it a real atmosphere that makes it difficult for other teams to play in,” he said.
“Over the years, we’ve done that, and the fans have got behind it, we’ve got behind it and made Villa Park a real fortress. He’s passed that message onto us.
“It’s a collective thing: the fans, the team, making it really difficult for teams to come and play, and then being powerful at home and being hard to beat.
“I’ve been here since the manager’s been here and we’ve always been really powerful and dominant at home.
“We need to get back to that.”
Cash made eight appearances as Villa reached the quarter-finals of Europe’s top competition in 2024/25, and he now gets the chance to add to that tally after injury ruled him out of the Matchday One win over Club Brugge.
He said: “As a young boy it’s your dream to play in the Champions League.
“A couple of years ago we had an experience, doing really well and getting to the quarter-finals, playing against PSG. It’s amazing.
“You watch the Champions League growing up and it’s the biggest stage in football, so to be playing in it at Villa Park is even better.”
Villa have put a 13-game unbeaten run together at home in European competitions over the past two seasons, with Juventus the only side to manage a draw during that run.
It’s a sequence that gives Cash confidence heading into the meeting with Fenerbahçe.
“Over the last few years our home form has been incredible, not just in Europe,” he said.
“We went on a run at home when we didn’t lose, and we need to get back to that.
“If you can dominant at home and then you pick up points away from home, you can be really powerful. That’s what we’ve done over the years.
“We wanted to win against Brentford, we got a draw against a good team, and now tomorrow is a big test against a good team.
“At home we need to be winning these games, and that’s the bar we’ve set for ourselves. Hopefully we can make it loud tomorrow.”
Villans prepare for European action