Aston Villa will look to strengthen their case for an automatic spot in the last 16 with a win at home against BSC Young Boys.
In form, Aston Villa will be eyeing a fourth straight win across competitions when they host BSC Young Boys at Villa Park on Thursday night in the UEFA Europa League.
The home team are sixth in the Europea League table with nine points in their four outings. After suffering a surprise defeat at the hands of Go Ahead Eagles in Matchday 3, Aston Villa returned to winning ways in Europe against Maccabi Tel Aviv last time out.
The Villans have won four out of their last five outings, and they are heading into this fixture on the back of an impressive 2-1 win over Leeds United. Unai Emery’s team will be confident of securing yet another win when they host Young Boys at Villa Park.
Meanwhile, the visitors have been a touch inconsistent in Europe. The Swiss outfit are 22nd on the table with six points in their four outings. They suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of PAOK in their last European outing.
Since losing that fixture, Young Boys have secured consecutive wins in the league. While they will be high on confidence, squaring up against Aston Villa away from home won’t be easy. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
The home team will certainly be without the services of Tyrone Mings (hamstring) and Andres Garcia (knock). Meanwhile, Amadou Onana will be assessed ahead of kick-off. Ross Barkley has replaced Mings in Aston Villa’s Europa League squad, so he is now available for selection ahead of the game against BSC Young Boys.
The home side will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Emiliano Martinez will be in goal. Victor Lindelof and Ian Maatsen will be the full-backs, while Ezri Konsa will pair up with Pau Torres in at the heart of the defence.
The back four will receive significant support from Lamare Bogarde and Barkley, who will form the double pivot. They will look to ensure they control the tempo of the game.
In the final third, Evann Guessand and Jadon Sancho could feature on the flanks, while Morgan Rogers should feature in the number ten role. Donyell Malen should lead the line for Aston Villa against BSC Young Boys.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Lindelof, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Bogarde, Barkley; Guessand, Rogers, Sancho; Malen
BSC Young Boys
Armin Gigovic is suspended for this fixture after having picked up a red card last time out. Meanwhile, Edimilson Fernandes, Zachary Athekame, and Facinet Conte are all out injured.
The visitors will also line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Marvin Keller will be in goal. Ryan Andrews and Jaouen Hadjam will be the full-backs, while Sandro Lauper will partner with Tanguy Zoukrou in central defence.
As for the midfield unit, Rayan Raveloson will partner with Dominik Pech in the centre of the park. The duo will look to shield the backline and ensure the Aston Villa midfielders do not dominate the proceedings.
Christian Fassnacht and Alan Virginius should feature on the flanks, providing width to their attacks, while Alvyn Sanches will feature as the attacking midfielder behind Chris Bedia, who will spearhead the BSC Young Boys attack against Aston Villa.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Keller; Andrews, Lauper, Zoukrou, Hadjam; Raveloson, Pech; Fassnacht, Sanches, Virginius; Bedia
Key Stats
- The two teams squared up in the initial stage of the UEFA Champions League last season, with Aston Villa securing a 3-0 win away from home.
- Aston Villa have won four out of their last five games across competitions.
- After a run of three games without a win across competitions, Young Boys have won their last two outings.
- Unai Emery’s team have not lost a home game since their defeat to Crystal Palace towards the end of August.
- The Spanish manager has won the competition on four occasions, and it is one of the major reasons why Aston Villa are favourites.
Player to Watch
Morgan Rogers
The 23-year-old has taken his game to the next level since joining Aston Villa at the start of 2024. Not only has Rogers established himself as a key figure in the team, but he is now widely regarded as one of the best young players in the Premier League.
While he has not lit up the world, Rogers has enjoyed a solid impressive start to the season with six goal contributions in his 17 outings. The English international is yet to find the back of the net in the Europa League, so he will be looking to get on the scoresheet and secure all three points for his team.
Prediction
Aston Villa 3-1 BSC Young Boys
Aston Villa come into this fixture in superb form and with the momentum firmly on their side. Unai Emery’s men have won four of their last five games across competitions, and they look increasingly confident with every outing. Their strong showing against Leeds United over the weekend only reinforces the sense that Villa are building something solid once again under Emery.
Young Boys will also arrive with belief after back-to-back league wins, but facing Aston Villa away from home is a different challenge altogether. The visitors have looked vulnerable defensively in the Europa League, as highlighted by their heavy defeat against PAOK, and they now take on one of the competition’s most tactically astute managers. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the home team.
