UEFA don't want clubs like Aston Villa to win. They've forced them to sell their best players, as 'bigger' clubs lose hundreds of millions with impunity. But thanks to Unai Emery, Villa are beating the system, writes TOM COLLOMOSSE

Aston Villa face Red Bull Salzburg in UEFA competition despite facing financial pressures that have forced them to sell key players under UEFA's financial regulations. The Daily Mail's Tom Collomosse argues that UEFA's rules disproportionately burden smaller clubs like Villa while larger clubs absorb hundreds of millions in losses without equivalent punishment. Under manager Unai Emery, Villa have nonetheless managed to compete at the European level, defying the structural disadvantages stacked against them.