Prediction: Aston Villa to win 3-1
Best Odds: 9/1
Aston Villa and Club Brugge will lock horns with each other in the UEFA Champions League this week. The second leg of the last-16 tie between the Premier League club and the Belgian Pro League outfit will be held at Villa Park and is scheduled to kick off at 8pm UK time on Wednesday.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa are one of the biggest clubs in England who are a force to be reckoned with under former Arsenal manager Unai Emery. The Spaniard led the Villans to the Premier League top four last season, and there is a very distinct possibility that they could do the same this time around.
Villa beat Brentford 1-0 away from home at the Gtech Community Stadium in the Premier League this past weekend and are now seventh in the league table. The Villans have picked up 45 points from 29 matches and are only four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
Emery’s side are also a foot into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Villa beat Club Brugge 3-1 in Belgium in the first leg of their last-16 tie, and barring a massive slip up in the second leg in front of their fans at Villa Park, they are as good as through to the last eight.
Team News:
Aston Villa are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Club Brugge. Robin Olsen will be in goal for Unai Emery’s side. Axel Disasi, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Lucas Digne will be the four defenders. John McGinn and Youri Tielemans will be the two holding midfielders. Leon Bailey, Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey will be the three attacking midfielders. Ollie Watkins will lead the line for the Villans.
Club Brugge
Club Brugge are a modest club in European terms, but they are one of the biggest teams in Belgium. Nicky Hayen’s side won the Belgian Pro League last season and are in with a chance of winning it again.
Blauw-Zwart, though, are unlikely to progress past the Round of 16 stage in the UEFA Champions League this season. Club Brugge beat Aston Villa at the Jan Breydelstadion in the League Stage of Europe’s premier club competition, but they lost 3-1 to Unai Emery’s side at the same venue in the first leg of the tie last week.
After the loss, Hayen said: “Efficiency was decisive. We had the best chances. They have a good win, despite the chances we had. Now we need to score two goals. But if we do it quickly, like they did yesterday, anything can happen.
Team News:
Club Brugge are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Aston Villa. Simon Mignolet will be in goal for the Belgian outfit. Kyriani Sabbe, Joel Ordonez, Brandon Mechele and Maxim De Cuyper will be the four defenders. Raphael Onyedika and Ardon Jashari will be the two holding midfielders. Chemsdine Talbi, Hans Vanaken and Christian Tzolis will be the three attacking midfielders. Ferran Jutglia will lead the line for the Belgian club.
Key Factors to Consider
- Aston Villa took 7 shots against Club Brugge in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie last week.
- Aston Villa had 1 attempt from outside the box against Club Brugge in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie last week.
- Aston Villa played 409 passes against Club Brugge in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie last week, of which 353 were accurate.
- Club Brugge took 668 touches of the ball against Aston Villa in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie last week.
- Only 3 of Club Brugge’s 11 shots against Aston Villa in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie last week were on target.
Conclusion
Aston Villa are the clear favourites to progress to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League from the tie against Club Brugge. Having won the first leg by a two-goal margin in Belgium, the Villans will fancy their chances of registering a victory at Villa Park in the second leg this week.
Prediction: Aston Villa to win 3-1
Best Odds: 9/1
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
