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The UCL Big One: Can Aston Villa call on Spirit of '82 to conquer Bayern Munich?
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Few nations are more closely entwined with the history of the UEFA Champions League and its predecessor the European Cup than England.
Sure, Real Madrid may be the most successful club in the history of both competitions, but no country has produced more winners than that island nation across the channel.
Six different clubs have laid claim to the trophy across seven decades at the top, with several firmly entrenched in wider sporting folklore for their legendary heroics.
Aston Villa will be aware of the weight of history, then, when they take to the field on Wednesday for just their second UCL match in four decades.
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Their 1982 European Cup success, masterminded by the late Tony Barton, remains their most celebrated moment, regaled in amber tones by those who were there that day.
Peter Withe's goal, the lone finish of a 1-0 victory at Rotterdam's De Kuip, is part of their club tapestry, immortalised in a banner within Villa Park's North Stand.
Forty-two years later, it is fitting that they play the first home game of their UCL return against the team they downed all those years ago, in the shape of Bayern Munich.
With a far greater European pedigree than their hosts, and an unbeaten start to the new campaign, Vincent Kompany's men will arrive as nominal favourites in the West Midlands.
But after grafting their way back to the top under Unai Emery, only a fool would write off Villa as they look to summon the Spirit of '82 and conquer the Bundesliga side once again.
Bayern back in business
After a generation of Bundesliga dominance, Bayern's grasp on the top-flight title in Germany slipped last year, as Bayer Leverkusen blew them away.
Ultimately, it wasn't even close, as Thomas Tuchel oversaw a shocking slip to third, a campaign enlivened only by a UCL semi-final run and Kane's Golden Shoe heroics.
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But under ex-Burnley boss Kompany, they have made a flying start to the new campaign, including a standout 9-2 demolition of Dinamo Zagreb.
Kane netted four goals in that, and is now the highest-scoring Englishman in the competition's history with 33 in 45 games, eclipsing Wayne Rooney's record.
A knock against Bayer Leverkusen was the last thing the Three Lions captain needed, but he trained on Tuesday ahead of their flight to Birmingham and believes he will feature.
"It was painful, but it's not too bad," Kane previously said after the 1-1 draw. "I expect that I'll be able to play against Aston Villa."
His presence would offer up another regular opponent he has enjoyed fine form against - Kane has scored eight times in 13 games with Villa throughout his career.
Villa return 'doesn't get better'
On the opposite side of the pitch is the man who will now almost certainly be Kane's understudy as England's central forward following Ivan Toney's move to Saudi Arabia.
Ollie Watkins enjoyed a sensational season last term to help Villa make history, and handily assured his place in national folklore with a Euro 2024 semi-final strike too.
(Getty Images)
But he believes Wednesday's game may be the peak of his club career so far, suggesting that the team will draw on Emery's deep knowledge of the European game to succeed.
"It's been a long time since Champions League nights at Villa Park," he said. "Playing Champions League football for Villa is the best it can get really.
"We've got a manager that we trust. He's been there and experienced it all. He always has us focused on the next game and the task at hand."
Villa will have some work to do though, balancing the duties of an expanded continental club calendar with their attempts to maintain a place in the Premier League top four.
A 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town in their last game was not the ideal preparation for this history-making clash - but few would forgive them if the excitement got to them too.
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