In the build-up to Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich, former England international turned pundit Rio Ferdinand couldn’t believe what he saw outside of Villa Park.
Villa arguably had one of their biggest games for years on Wednesday night. After finally returning to the Champions League for the first time in over 40 years, a rematch of the 1982 European Cup final was the Birmingham outfit’s first match at Villa Park.
Despite complaints about Villa’s Champions League ticket prices, the stadium remained packed for the clash.
However, with an atmosphere on European nights vital to their success, Rio Ferdinand pointed out that he saw something outside Villa Park that he had ‘never seen before’.
Aston Villa have DJ outside Villa Park for Bayern Munich Champions League clash
A general view inside Villa Park as the players come out to a firework display before the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match betw…
It turned out to be another memorable night for Villa. Jhon Duran ended up netting the only goal of the game with another goal from the bench.
However, one of the biggest factors that helped Villa get the result over the line was the atmosphere. Villa Park was rocking throughout which helped build up an intimidating atmosphere for their German opponents.
In an attempt to build up the atmosphere for the fixture, former England international Ferdinand pointed out that the club had a DJ outside of Villa Park before kick-off.
“I saw a DJ outside,” he said on TNT Sports. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a DJ here before, the owners have clearly put some money in to create an atmosphere and the fans will be important here but it starts with the players.
“There’s a combination of the fans playing a part and the players have to start everything with their intentions”
Villa Park atmosphere crucial to Champions League success
A Aston Villa fan celebrates victory after the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between Aston Villa FC and FC Bayern München at…
Photo by Aston Villa/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
While Villa might not have the best squad in the competition, they have one secret weapon – Villa Park.
If the club can replicate the atmosphere on Wednesday night, week in and week out, the Birmingham outfit will go far.
Not one team will want to come to Villa Park, especially after they beat German giants Bayern Munich.
Now, the challenge Villa faces is to ensure these levels don’t drop going into the rest of the fixtures in the league stage.