"Rotterdam has a special place in the hearts of Aston Villa supporters. Villa won the European Cup at De Kuip in 1982 thanks to Peter Withe's strike off his shin and the post and a stellar goalkeeping performance from young substitute Nigel Spink. Bayern Munich were their opponents that night and they return on Thursday to take on Feyenoord in the Europa League."
"Feyenoord have a familiar face in the dugout. Former Premier League striker Robin van Persie took over at his hometown club earlier this year after winning plaudits as the head coach at Heerenveen, and he has certainly done his homework ahead of Villa's visit in the second game of the league phase."
"He is fast, technical, and in the box is where his qualities lie, Van Persie told John Townley. He will be a big threat against us. He is definitely one of their threats. We had a meeting about Aston Villa this morning. He was in it quite a bit."
Rotterdam holds historic significance for Aston Villa after the 1982 European Cup victory at De Kuip. Bayern Munich, opponents in that final, return to Rotterdam to face Feyenoord in the Europa League. Robin van Persie manages Feyenoord and previously coached Heerenveen before taking charge at his hometown club. Van Persie has studied Aston Villa and singled out Ollie Watkins as a key threat, noting Watkins’ pace, technique, and scoring instincts in the box. Aston Villa began their Premier League campaign slowly but opened their Europa League account and registered a home league goal through Watkins.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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