Club Brugge vs Aston Villa: Match Preview & predictions
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa: Match Preview & predictions. Aston Villa will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing defeat away at Tottenham Hotspur while also maintaining their 100% start to the new league phase of the Champions League format, when they take on Club Brugge on Wednesday.
It’s been a memorable start to Villa’s return to the continental competition, with an unforgettable triumph over Bayern Munich on Matchday 2 complementing professional victories over Young Boys and Bologna.
Unai Emery’s Villans next take on a Brugge side that sit second in the Belgian Pro League, but 26th in the new league phase UCL table, having been beaten by the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Milan. Their sole victory arrived against Austrian champions Sturm Graz, away from home.
The hosts head into Wednesday’s bout off the back of a three-game winning run, while Villa have lost two on the bounce. After exiting the Carabao Cup at the hands of Crystal Palace last week, Villa were put to the sword by a rampant Tottenham Hotspur side in the second half of their Premier League bout on Sunday, eventually losing 4-1 despite taking a first-half lead.
Our guide to Aston Villa’s Champions League clash on Wednesday evening below.
What time does Club Brugge vs Aston Villa kick-off?
Location: Bruges, Belgium
Stadium: Jan Breydelstadion
Date: Wednesday 6 November
Kick-off: 17:45 GMT / 12:45 ET / 09:45 PT
Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER)
VAR: Benjamin Brand (GER)
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa H2H Record;
This is the first competitive meeting between Club Brugge and Aston Villa.
Club Brugge team news;
Gustaf Nilsson recently returned from a calf injury, but there are doubts over his status for Wednesday’s game after he missed Brugge’s win over Leuven on Saturday. Should the Swede not fit to feature against Villa, 20-year-old forward Romeo Vermant should get the nod up top.
Midfielder Raphael Onyedika received his marching orders in the defeat to Milan, so is suspended here. Former Bodo/Glimt star Hugo Vetlesen is poised to start in the Nigerian’s absence.
Andreas Skov Olsen and stalwart Hans Vanaken are Brugge’s chief threats going forward, while Maxim De Cuyper is one to watch at full-back.
Club Brugge predicted lineup vs Aston Villa
Club Brugge (4-2-3-1): Mignolet; Seys, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Jashari, Vetlesen; Skov Olsen, Vanaken, Tzolis; Vermant.
Aston Villa team news;
Morgan Rogers was poleaxe’d by Cristian Romero on Sunday and was subsequently withdrawn, but the Villa attacker didn’t seem too bothered by the knock he sustained and should be available for the Wednesday clash.
Matty Cash also succumbed to injury at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and is less likely to feature. His absence will almost certainly draw Ezri Konsa away from the centre of Villa’s backline and allow Diego Carlos to come in.
Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings are also in contention for starts, but Emery cannot call upon Ross Barkley until after the international break due to injury.
Jhon Duran, who scored in Villa’s previous two Champions League outings, will be hoping for a starting nod over Ollie Watkins up top.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Club Brugge
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Ramsey; Duran.
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa score prediction;
Convincing defeats to Dortmund and Milan have been harsh on Brugge, who have shown competence in this competition thus far and will test the visitors on Wednesday.
Emery’s ideals have so far worked a treat for the Villans under the lights, and the Spaniard shouldn’t be too downbeat despite the manner in which his team collapsed on Sunday.
While Villa’s defence is always better with Konsa at the heart of it, the visitors should have plenty of joy against a Brugge side that typically concedes two or more in their Champions League outings. Milan and Dortmund have capitalised on a defence that can look outmatched at this level, and we should expect Villa’s attacking force to have themselves a feast here.
Prediction: Club Brugge 1-2 Aston Villa
