Aston Villa have an opportunity to make another flying start in the Champions League

I can't wait to hear the Champions League anthem at Villa Park again on Wednesday night. There are certain things that you never want to take for granted as an Aston Villa supporter, particularly when you consider where the football club has come from over the last decade, and watching Villa compete in Europe's biggest club competition is certainly one of them.

There is something special about those evenings at Villa Park, and although the stadium is going through a period of considerable change, I am really looking forward to taking my seat, hearing the music and watching Villa compete against another recognisable name in European football.

Fenerbahce are the visitors this time, and while their squad contains an extraordinary collection of familiar names, I think this represents a really good opportunity for Villa to build on the victory over Club Brugge in their opening Champions League fixture.

That result was probably more important than it has been given credit for, particularly when you consider Villa's circumstances going into the game. Emery's side hadn't won a match in any competition at that stage, confidence wasn't particularly high and there was a lot of pressure to get the season moving in the right direction.

Winning away from home in those circumstances was a really encouraging achievement, and it has given Villa an opportunity to establish themselves in the competition before some of the more difficult fixtures arrive later in the league phase.

We saw during Villa's previous Champions League campaign just how important a strong start can be. The early victories put Emery's side in a position where they could compete towards the top of the league table, and ultimately that played a significant part in securing a place in the top eight.

I think the way the fixtures have fallen this time gives Villa another opportunity to do something similar, with Fenerbahce and Viking arriving at Villa Park on consecutive Wednesdays. If Villa can take maximum points from those games, they would have nine points from their opening three matches, which would be an excellent platform for the remainder of the campaign.

That doesn't mean either game should be taken lightly, particularly against a Fenerbahce side that possesses considerable individual quality, but it does mean Villa have an opportunity to put themselves in a strong position before the schedule becomes more demanding.

Fenerbahce are an interesting opponent because when you look at the players they have available, there is an enormous amount of experience throughout the team. Ederson, Nelson Semedo, Milan Skriniar, Nathan Ake, N'Golo Kante, Matteo Guendouzi and Marco Asensio are all names that Premier League supporters will recognise, and there is certainly enough quality there to cause Villa problems.

However, having spoken to Neil Dunworth on The 1874 Podcast, and listened to some of the conversations he has had with Fenerbahce supporters, there appears to be a degree of uncertainty about the direction of the Turkish club.

Neil explained that despite the significant investment in the playing squad, the supporters he had spoken to were hopeful rather than particularly confident about what the team could achieve in the Champions League. There is also an enormous desire to end Galatasaray's domestic dominance, which perhaps tells you something about where their priorities lie.

None of that means Fenerbahce won't arrive at Villa Park determined to win, and I certainly wouldn't underestimate a team containing so many experienced players, but it does suggest that Villa should approach this fixture with confidence in their ability to get a result.

The other interesting element is how Emery manages the transition between Champions League and Premier League football over the coming weeks. Villa are now entering a period where they will be playing every few days, and while the squad has been strengthened considerably, we haven't yet seen how all of the new players will fit together when the manager starts rotating his team.

That is going to be an important part of the season because Villa cannot afford to allow their domestic form to suffer while concentrating on Europe. Their start to the Premier League campaign hasn't been what anyone wanted, and there is work to do if they are going to get themselves back into the positions we have become accustomed to seeing under Emery.

Getting points on the board early in the Champions League could potentially help with that, particularly if it gives Emery more flexibility with his selections when some of the tougher European fixtures arrive.

I don't think there is any reason Villa shouldn't be looking at these next two home games as an opportunity to take control of their Champions League campaign, although they will have to perform considerably better defensively than they did against Brentford at the weekend.

Villa Park has already provided some incredible European memories under Emery, and having watched this football club spend so many years trying to get back to this level, I'm certainly not going to stop appreciating occasions like Wednesday night.

The challenge now is to make sure those occasions are accompanied by the results that give Villa another opportunity to progress deep into the competition.