I would say Villa isn't an empty threat. They are a great team and Unai Emery is one of the greatest managers we have in the world right now. Just because he doesn't manage a huge team, doesn't mean that he is a bad manager. We have seen him do great stuff with his teams before and we should be making sure that they are doing the great thing again.
Villa at the moment are in a bad form, so unless they can pick themselves up and get back to being a good side, I don't expect much from them this season. In the first three matches so far, they've not won any, and they've been able to score only one goal. That doesn't look like a team that can win the Europa League.
I understand it's still in the early stages of the season, and teams can pick up form after the international break, but it's not always that easy.
Unai Emery is a good coach, and they've made some last-minute signings, so let's see what those signings can do for them. I'm not expecting much because what can Sancho and Harvey Elliot do? They might make the team better, but they're not lead raisers. I hope they prove me wrong and turn into a fearsome team.