Aston Villa: Emile Heskey ready to face Real Madrid for Villa
Mar 21 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail
LIVERPOOL might be slaying the giants of European football for Real.
But Emile Heskey is confident Aston Villa’s invitation to take part in a Champions League dress rehearsal in pre-season would be perfect preparation for challenging the cream of the continent regularly.
If Heskey, as was widely expected, had opted to rejoin Rafa Benitez’s Reds on a free transfer later this year he would be pretty much guaranteed playing in Europe’s premier club competition next season.
However, ahead of tomorrow’s match at Anfield, the £3.5 million former Wigan striker has no regrets about rejecting Liverpool in favour of joining Aston Villa and is excited about their involvement in the Peace Cup.
The competition, held at venues across southern Spain in the last week in July, will see Villa rub shoulders with the likes of Real Madrid, victims of the rampant Reds during their 4-1 defeat at Anfield. Heskey views the Peace Cup as a reward for the massive strides Villa have made rather than a consolation prize or replacement if they miss out on the top four.
“Everyone wants to be pitting their wits against the likes of Real Madrid and you don’t get that opportunity all the time,” he said.
