Aston Villa relive the glory of their 1982 European this evening

Largely thanks to the excellent work of manager Unai Emery, Aston Villa will begin their Europa Conference League group-stage campaign tonight.

It’s been 13 years since this storied club last played under European lights.

This season marks the 18th time they have competed in Europe, starting with a first-round exit from the 1975-76 UEFA Cup.

Their finest hour came back in 1982, when manager Tony Barton led the Villans to European Cup glory by beating German giants Bayern Munich 1-0 in Rotterdam.

We’ve delved through the Mail Sport archives from those glory days to bring you the best pictures…

Aston Villa won the European Cup in 1982 after beating Bayern Munich and have a rich history in continental competitions (pictured – Jimmy Rimmer (left) and Nigel Spink (right))

Villa boss Tony Barton with the trophy after they beat Bayern 1-0 thanks to Peter Withe’s goal

Villa supporters upon their return from Brussels after they defeated Anderlecht in the semi-final. They won the first leg at home 1-0, before securing a battling 0-0 draw in Belgium

In 1982-83, the Villans went out in the quarter-final to Juventus (pictured – an empty Villa Park for their first round victory over Benfica after UEFA forced them to play behind closed doors)

Stan Collymore clashes with Steaua Bucharest players in round three of the 1997-98 UEFA Cup

Savo Milosevic celebrates in the second leg of the tie as Villa went onto win 3-2 on aggregate. They were eventually knocked out by Atletico Madrid in the quarter-final on away goals