Unai Emery will not be satisfied until Aston Villa become regular Champions League challengers as they stand on the brink of the quarter-finals.
As long as Villa avoid losing by more than one goal to Club Brugge on Wednesday, they will be guaranteed a spot in the last eight of Europe's main club competition.
When Emery took charge of Villa in autumn 2023, they risked sliding into the relegation zone. In less than two years, the Basque had led them to a top four finish, and now fans are dreaming of a repeat of 1982, when Villa lifted the European Cup.
'To play in this Champions League has been fantastic but my objective is to try to be playing consistently in the Champions League,' said Emery. 'To stay at this level is difficult. This is the challenge I have.
'I know where the club was after they won the European Cup. They were for a long time not achieving the demands we are now setting in the club. Of course everything we are doing now is important. But I want more.'
Villa lead 3-1 after the first leg in Belgium and Emery is expected to restore Emi Martinez in goal, after the Argentina star missed the 1-0 win at Brentford last weekend with a tight hamstring. Marco Asensio, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, also returns to the squad having also sat out the last Premier League encounter.
With Villa's wage bill at about 96 per cent of turnover, progress in the Champions League – and continued qualification for it – is essential for the club to match Emery's ambitions.
Emery added: 'Everything we are achieving is because we have new ways and new demands – starting with the owners, the club, and everything we are trying to establish.
'When I arrived my objective was to compete for trophies and qualify for Europe, which we managed in each of the first two seasons. We have our vision of how we want to increase our level and achieve different things.'