Aston Villa are set to take on Club Brugge in the Champions League opener, precisely at 5.45 pm on Tuesday.
Aston Villa are bound to begin their continental campaign away from home. This midweek, they will travel to Brugge to face off the Belgian champions, Club Brugge, which they have encountered in the last three seasons.
Unai Emery’s men are still looking for the first win and first goal this season! The team is still undergoing a rebuilding phase with 10 new signings up to the deadline day and losing their key men in the past few seasons. Their slow start with one points only in hand out of three games in the league.
On the contrary, Ivan Leko’s Brugge has been more convincing so far. In their last five games, they clinched four wins and only slumped to a defeat once in the league. Nicolo Tresoldi and Co would be more confident to pick up a win this time to improve their record against Villa.
Villa might have a better head-to-head record with two wins and only one loss against the Belgian champions. Yet, John McGinn and Co should remember that their only defeat was they played away from home. It was also in the league phase of Champions League in the 2024/25 season. They were beaten 1-0 in the same stadium they will be playing this week.
The Villans are flying to Belgium with only 23 players in the squad, instead of 25 due to the lack of homegrown players in the squad. Interestingly, Emery does not include the player who impressed him recently, George Hemmings in the squad.
Moreover, four players will still be unavailable for this match. They are Amadou Onana, Johan Manzambi and Brian Madjo who are still injured, whereas Leon Goretzka is still not entirely fit for the game yet.
Thus, Emery would select a slightly different set-up for this clash from the regular starting XI in the Premier League. Zion Suzuki is bound to keep his spot between the sticks. In the backline, Pau Torres and Victor Lindelof would also get a nod with Matty Cash and Ian Maatsen on both flanks.
In the midfield, Boubacar Camara will be accompanied by Joao Gomes as the double pivot, whereas Ross Barkley, who was left out in Europa League squad, is likely to become a starter as the number 10. Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn would operate wide as the wingers. Nicolas Jackson is the first choice to lead the line.
The Club Brugge v Aston Villa duel will be available on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max as well as live streaming. The fans can also enjoy this game on NOW TV and Discovery+ app..
The post Club Brugge v Aston Villa: Team News, predicted line up, match preview appeared first on AVillaFan.com – Aston Villa Fan Site.
