Aston Villa v Zrinjski LIVE: Emery eyeing first European points after poor start

Unai Emery's side got off to a disappointing start in Group E of the Europa Conference League, being beaten by Legia Warsaw in their opening clash.

Villa are still waiting on three points, however, they head into this tie off the back of an incredible 6-1 win against Brighton at the weekend.

They are set to be huge favourites against Zrinjski but the Bosnian side are not to be underestimated as they sit top of the group following a 4-3 win over AZ.

Aston Villa vs Zrinjski Mostar: How to follow

This Europa Conference League Group E clash will take place on Thursday, October 5.

Kick-off at Villa Park is scheduled for 8pm.

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The game will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 2 with coverage beginning at 7:45pm.

Fans can sign up to watch the action on TNT Sports for £29.99 per month. More details can be found here.

talkSPORT and talkSPORT.com will also keep you up to date with the latest.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

ou can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Aston Villa vs Zrinjski Mostar: Team news

Moussa Diaby is expected to recover from a knock suffered during Aston Villa's win over Brighton at the weekend.

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As should Boubacar Kamara, however, Leon Bailey and Alex Moreno are set to remain on the sidelines until after the international break.

Emery is likely to rotate his side with Youri Tielemans, Clement Lenglet and Jhon Duran all vying for a starting spot.

As for Zrinjski, they have no new injury issues and should be full-strength at Villa Park.

Aston Villa vs Zrinjski Mostar: What has been said?

Speaking after defeat to Legia Warsaw last time out in Europe, Emery said: "I believe in our squad and our players and we could have lost this game with other players on the pitch.

"Every match away in Europe is difficult and this is a new step where we have to learn.

"We still have the possibility to react again, we are going to play another five matches.

"It's not a good result but we have to learn and have to understand how we're going to face the next matches and this competition.

"We have to build a squad who will play a lot of matches and we will need players in the squad to give them opportunities to play, to use their qualities."

Aston Villa vs Zrinjski Mostar: Match facts

Zrinjski scored three goals from outside the box in their win 4-3 against AZ Alkmaar two weeks ago, a first time for a team in a UEFA Europa Conference League game (excl. qualifiers).

By winning against AZ Alkmaar on MD1 (4-3), Zrinjski became the first Bosnian side to win a major European competition game since Velez Mostar in December 1988 (2-1 v Heart of Midlothian in the UEFA Cup last 16).

Zrinjski won 4-3 against AZ Alkmaar on the opening matchday despite trailing 0-3, becoming the first side to complete such a comeback in any European competition since Zenit St. Petersburg against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the UEFA Europa League in 2016 (also 4-3).

Aston Villa are winless in their last five games in major European competitions (D1 L4), their longest ever such run. Villa are looking for their first win in such games since a 1-0 win against Slavia Prague in the UEFA Cup group stages in November 2008.

Aston Villa and Zrinjski have never met before, with this game being the first one between English and Bosnian sides in a major European competition since Derby County met Velez Mostar in the UEFA Cup last 16 in 1974.