Aston Villa’s underperforming stars know the “magnitude” of their Europa League showdown with Lille, according to captain John McGinn.
Unai Emery’s side hold a 1-0 first-leg lead in their last-16 tie before the return game at Villa Park on Thursday.
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Their season could hinge on European success – and ending a 30-year trophy drought – after their Premier League form plummeted this year.
They are clinging on to fourth in the table following two wins in 10 league games.
“We know it’s an important game, probably slightly more important because of the recent results, so the dressing room knows the magnitude of the game,” said McGinn.
“We had a much larger gap [over Champions League rivals], now Manchester United have picked up, Chelsea, Liverpool are indifferent like ourselves.
“There are teams in better form but what we’ve shown is we have the capability to put some momentum together.
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“This is no different. One thing that needs to improve is our home form.
“When you’re talking about confidence, we went through a similar spell already this season in August and September, and it doesn’t just flick on overnight, it’s gradual.
“We won against Bologna, against Fulham, with performances that weren’t pretty but it got confidence back up and that’s exactly what we need to do again.”
Scotland international McGinn has returned after missing 10 games with a knee injury, coming on as a second-half substitute in Lille last week.
He is the first of Villa’s sidelined midfield trio to come back with Youri Tielemans still out with an ankle problem and Boubacar Kamara out until next season with a knee injury.
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“When you’re out injured and the results don’t go so well you automatically become this superior player and you’re the reason why things aren’t going well,” he said.
“There’s many reasons why things haven’t been going well but when you lose three of your midfield most teams in the country would struggle.
“I certainly feel the expectation and the pressure to remind the players of what it takes to play for Aston Villa.
“It’s a demanding club to play for. When you set standards, you’re expected to meet them again. When you fall short of that, you’ll get criticism.”