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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery will not let playing on a plastic pitch affect performance as his side open their Champions League campaign at Young Boys.

Villa will play in the premier European club competition for the first time in 41 years when they visit the Swiss champions on Tuesday.

Young Boys’ Wankdorf Stadium has an artificial surface but Emery is not prepared to use that as an excuse.

The meticulous Spaniard changed the club’s preparation by flying to the Swiss capital early and training at the stadium.

He said: “We are going to adapt. We changed a little bit our usual way for playing in Europe.

“Normally we have a training session in Birmingham and travel. But we decided to come to train here to know and to adapt for the synthetic pitch.

“We’re ready and we won’t use it as an excuse. I think we can play with the same personality like we do at home.”

Young Boys qualified for the Champions League after beating Galatasaray in the qualifying play-off and will see the visit of Villa as a chance to get some early points on the board in the new format.

Coach Patrick Rahmen says the unusual environment will not harm his side’s chances, but does not expect it to be a major influence on the game.

“I think the English will not be so used to it,” he said.

“Some of their players will have trained in their youth level, but normally in England they don’t play at this level on AstroTurf.

“It’s not a disadvantage for us, for sure, but I am sure Aston Villa will have prepared for it so for them it will be less of a topic.

“Tomorrow they want to shape their start in the tournament in a positive manner and they will not be thinking too much about it.”

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