Aston Villa and Bayern Munich will aim to build on their scintillating UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 results when they meet at Villa Park on Wednesday.
Matchday 2 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League will culminate on Wednesday, which will be another action-packed day. One of the most intriguing fixtures of the day will see the much sought-after “Champions League nights” bedazzle Villa Park, where Aston Villa and Bayern Munich will lock horns.
Aston Villa qualified for the UEFA Champions League by clinching a surprise top-four finish in the Premier League last season. The Villans began their European campaign by cruising to a 3-0 win over BSC Young Boys on Matchday 1. Meanwhile, Unai Emery’s men have continued their solid run in the English top flight, sitting in the fifth spot in the standings, two points behind the table-topping Liverpool.
As for Bayern Munich, they finished third in the Bundesliga last season, surrendering the title to Bayer Leverkusen. The Bavarian giants began their UEFA Champions League campaign with an eye-watering 9-2 win over Dinamo Zagreb to end Matchday 1 atop the standings. They are also at the summit of the Bundesliga after five rounds of fixtures, with Vincent Kompany wielding the magic wand.
The only previous clash between Aston Villa and Bayern Munich ended in a 1-0 win for the West Midlands outfit, a result that handed them the 1982 European Cup. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Unai Emery does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s first UEFA Champions League home game of the 2024/25 season. Against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, the Aston Villa manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players.
John McGinn remains on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, while Matty Cash is also unavailable due to a similar issue. Meanwhile, Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara have resumed training after recovering from their knee complaints. However, Wednesday’s game has come too soon for the duo.
Emiliano Martinez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Bayern Munich. The backline should feature Ezri Konsa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, and Lucas Digne.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans. The duo will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park and initiate swift transitions. Morgan Rogers will reprise the no. 10 role, while Jacob Ramsey and Leon Bailey will be the two wide attackers. Finally, Ollie Watkins will lead the line for the home side against Bayern Munich.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins
Bayern Munich
Unlike his counterpart in the Aston Villa dugout, Vincent Kompany has a few pressing issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Villa Park. The Bayern Munich manager might be without as many as five first-team players this midweek.
Kompany has been sweating over the availability of Harry Kane after the Englishman picked up an ankle injury this past weekend against Bayer Leverkusen. However, Kane has resumed training and might be available to take on Aston Villa. Meanwhile, Sacha Boey (knee), Hiroki Ito (foot), Josip Stanisic (knee), and Arijon Ibrahimovic (hamstring) remain on the sidelines.
Serge Gnabry or Mathys Tel will lead the line for Bayern Munich against Aston Villa if Kane is not fit enough to feature from the get-go. However, the England international should spearhead the away side’s attack on Wednesday, with Gnabry, Michael Olise, and Jamal Musiala completing the numbers in the final third.
Manuel Neuer will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Bayern Munich lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against the Villans. The backline should feature Raphael Guerreiro, Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae, and Alphonso Davies. Finally, there is no looking past Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic in the double pivot.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Guerreiro, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane
Key Stats
- Wednesday’s match will be the second-ever meeting between Aston Villa and Bayern Munich, with Villa winning the 1982 European Cup final 1-0 against Die Roten to lift their only major European title.
- Bayern Munich have only lost one of their last 10 UEFA Champions League game against English clubs (W7 D2), a 0-3 defeat to Manchester City in the 2022/23 quarter-final first leg.
- Bayern Munich beat Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 on Matchday 1 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. However, they are winless in their last three away matches in the competition (D1 L2). They last had a longer winless run on the road between February and September 2016 (D2 L2), spanning the spells of Pep Guardiola (3) and Carlo Ancelotti (1).
- Unai Emery has beaten Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on two previous occasions, winning 3-0 in September 2017 while taking charge of Paris Saint-Germain and 1-0 in April 2022 with Villarreal. Jose Mourinho (Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid) is the only manager to beat Bayern Munich in the competition with as many as three separate teams.
- Harry Kane has been directly involved in seven goals in six career appearances against Aston Villa at Villa Park (five goals, two assists). He has scored the game-winning strike at Villa Park on two previous occasions, both as a Tottenham Hotspur player.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
While Harry Kane will be in the spotlight again if he is fit enough to take the field against Aston Villa, the West Midlands club’s star striker takes the cake in this section. Ollie Watkins has been excellent in the first few weeks of the 2024/25 season, amassing four goals and three assists in seven appearances across all competitions.
While the Englishman did not find the back of the net on Matchday 1 against BSC Young Boys, he showed he belonged on the biggest stage. Should Watkins produce another showing riddled with resolve, he might help Aston Villa catch Bayern Munich off-guard at Villa Park on Wednesday.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-3 Bayern Munich
Aston Villa and Bayern Munich were two of the most eye-catching teams on Matchday 1 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. However, meeting in the Matchday 2 between the two sides can become a mismatch, considering the gulf in quality in the clubs.
But Emery has done wonders at Aston Villa since taking charge of a club in the relegation zone less than two years ago. The home side should produce a determined display against Bayern Munich, with both teams’ defensive vulnerabilities likely to lead to an end-to-end affair. However, the visitors should have the quality to eke a narrow victory.
Emery has only lost three of his previous 20 non-knockout stage games in the UEFA Champions League (W13 D4), although one of those defeats did come against Bayern Munich in December 2017 (1-3 while in charge of PSG). That tally will double on Wednesday after full-time of a pulsating affair, which will culminate in a 3-2 victory for Vincent Kompany and his charges.
