Club Brugge will host Aston Villa at the Jan Breydel Stadium for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg on Tuesday, looking to get a step closer to the quarter-finals.
Club Brugge are coming into the UEFA Champions League game vs Aston Villa on the back of just one win from their last four matches, and they will need to raise their performance levels to grind out of victory here. However, the away side have not been at their best either.
The Villans have picked up just three wins from the last six matches in all competitions. It will be interesting to see if the Premier League side can step up their performance levels and grind out a positive result away from home. Unai Emery’s men will look to get a good result in the first leg and get the job done in the second leg at home.
Both teams are capable of getting a victory here, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. The last time these two sides met in November, the Belgian outfit picked up a 1-0 win at home. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Club Brugge
Nicky Hayen has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Raphael Onyedika has recovered from a knock and is in the matchday squad for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash after resuming training this week.
Club Brugge are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Aston Villa, with Simon Mignolet in goal. The backline should feature Kyriani Sabbe, Joel Ordonez, Brandon Mechele, and Maxim De Cuyper are expected to start. Sabbe and De Cuyper keep things tight as the full-backs and hit Villa on the break.
As for the midfield unit, Hans Vanaken and Ardon Jashari will add control, creativity and defensive cover to the side. Andreas Skov Olsen and Christos Tzolis will start in the wide areas and they will look to add pace, flair and goals to the side. Casper Nielsen will look to link the midfield with the attack, and Gustaf Nilsson will lead the line for Club Brugge vs Aston Villa.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Mignolet; Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechele, Cuyper; Jashari, Vanaken; Olsen, Nielsen, Tzolis; Nilsson
Aston Villa
Unai Emery has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Jan Breydel Stadium. Pau Torres misses out with an ankle injury, Ross Barkley has a calf issue, and Tyrone Mings is dealing with a knee complaint.
Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Club Brugge, with Emiliano Martinez in goal. Andres Garcia and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and hit Club Brugge on the break. Ezri Konsa will start alongside Axel Disasi at the heart fo the defence.
As for the midfield unit, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans will look to control the tempo of the game and add drive to the side. Leon Bailey and Marcus Rashford will add pace, flair and creativity to the side from the wide areas.
Meanwhile, Morgan Rogers will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Finally, Ollie Watkins will spearhead the Aston Villa attack vs Club Brugge on Tuesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Garcia, Konsa, Disasi, Digne; McGinn, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Rashford; Watkins
Key Stats
- Club Brugge have picked up three wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
- Aston Villa have picked up three wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
- Club Brugge have conceded in five of their last six matches.
- Aston Villa have conceded in five of their last six matches.
- No team have scored more goals from outside the box than Aston Villa (5) in the UEFA Champions League this season. Of sides to score 10+ goals in a campaign, their percentage scored from outside the box (38% – 5/13) is the highest in a single edition since Villarreal in 2008-09 (38% – 5/13).
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
The Aston Villa striker is our key player to watch out for. The English international has enjoyed an impressive season so far, and he will look to make a big difference for his team in the final third. Aston Villa failed to find the back of the net when they took on the Belgian outfit in November, and they need Watkins to find the back of the net here.
The England international will help create goal scoring opportunities for his teammates and look to get on the score sheet as well. Aston Villa will need Watkins to step up and perform at a high level if they want to get a good result here.
Prediction
Club Brugge 1-1 Aston Villa
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close contest. The two sides are quite evenly matched, and it will be hard to separate them. An open game is expected with a fair few chances for either side.
Club Brugge and Aston Villa are likely to get on the score sheet here. However, it will be difficult to pick out a winner and the two sides are likely to cancel each other out. Club Brugge and Aston Villa will share the spoils here in a draw.
