Aston Villa's John McGinn sounds warning ahead of trip to Hibernian

Villa head north of the border for the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off round tie with the skipper urging team-mates not to take their eye off the ball against his former club.

McGinn made 131 appearances and won the Scottish Cup with Hibs before joining Villa for £2.5million five years ago and has faced a barrage of questions about what to expect at Easter Road.

He said: “I have said nice stadium, nice pitch, nice city, nice hotel but as soon as that whistle goes you may get a rude awakening if you have your foot off the gas.

“I’ve given them as much information as possible but the players are excited, I think, to play at Hibs. Even the boys who had no affiliation to Hibs wanted this game. I think there is a bit more spice and it’s exciting for everyone. Boys who have never played in Scotland are keen to get up there and show what they can do.”

The tie, the first between English and Scottish clubs in European competition since Aberdeen faced Burnley in 2018, will be broadcast live on BBC Scotland and online on BBC iPlayer.

Villa full-back Lucas Digne has emerged as a target for Nice, while both Keinan Davis and Jaden Philogene could join Hull before the transfer window closes. The latter’s deal would include a buy-back clause.