Aston Villa kick-start their European adventure this mid-week as they make the relatively short trip to Scotland to face Hibernian as they look to book a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League Group stages.
Aston Villa are in European action this Wednesday as they head north to Edinburgh to face Scottish side Hibernian at Easter Road in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League play-off.
Although the Conference League is not exactly the peak of continental football, Villa supporters are happy to embrace it after waiting nearly 13 years for a European night at Villa Park. Europe’s third-tier competition lacks the glitz of the Champions League. But it does not detract from the spectacular turnaround at the club under Unai Emery last season.
The Spaniard took charge of an underconfident team stranded in the bottom half of the Premier League table and transformed it into genuine European qualification contenders. Emery led Villa to a seventh-place finish. And off the back of several impressive high-profile summer signings, they will be one of the contenders to win the Conference League.
The Villans bounced back from their opening-day humiliation at Newcastle United with a thumping 4-0 win of their against Everton on Sunday afternoon. As for the hosts, Hibernian clinched a morale boost while on League Cup duties over the weekend as they secured a 2-1 victory at home against Raith to tee up a Viaplay Cup quarter-final meeting with St. Mirren.
But Lee Johnson’s men have struggled to find much stability. They have failed to deliver in league action following last season’s fifth-place finish so far, starting the new campaign with back-to-back losses to St. Mirren and Motherwell.
Despite their sluggish start, they extended their UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying adventure thanks to an action-packed 5-3 aggregate victory over Luzern earlier in the month to set up this playoff against a Premier League outfit in Aston Villa.
Team News & Tactics
Hibernian
We go again in the #UECL on Wednesday 👊 pic.twitter.com/QI479C7lVl
— Hibernian Football Club (@HibernianFC) August 21, 2023
It has been a hectic schedule for Lee Johnson’s side, who are carrying a number of injuries ahead of their seventh match in 20 days. The Easter Road outfit defeated Raith Rovers in the Round of 16 of the League Cup on Sunday, having rested a few first-team regulars. But they could be without summer signing Dylan Levitt, who sustained an ankle injury against Luzern last week.
It also appears as though the Aston Villa match could come too soon for long-term absentees Harry McKirdy and Jojo Wollacott, who are still unavailable. Another summer signing, Dylan Vente, also suffered an injury scare, being caught with a high boot last time out, yet he will be available for the European tie.
The Dutch striker is clearly a nuisance in front of goal and offers a solid physical presence to get under the skin of the opposition’s defenders. Former Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers attacker Adam Le Fondre is back in Europe to help Hibernian make history after five years in Australia with Sydney FC.
Once again finding the net against Raith while on League Cup duties and now notching back-to-back strikes, 24-year-old Thody Elie Youan is another one to keep an eye on in terms of possible goal-scorers.
Hibs face an uphill battle to get a result, let alone actually qualify. In front of sell-out home support, Johnson knows his side have a chance, albeit a small one, if his side remains resilient defensively and attackers click up top.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Marshall; Miller, Fish, Hanlon, Stevenson; Newell, Campbell; Youan, Le Fondre, Boyle; Vente
Aston Villa
Emi Buendia (knee) and Tyrone Mings (knee) are both likely to miss most of the 2023/24 season. Jacob Ramsey has an ankle issue and is not expected back until mid-September. Meanwhile, Bertrand Traore and Leander Dendoncker are also expected to be out for a while with muscle issues.
Alex Moreno is sidelined with a thigh injury and is likely unavailable until early September. Timothy Iroegbunam is out with an unspecified injury. Making an immediate return to winning ways over the weekend, the visitors made only one change from Gameweek 1 against Everton, with Pau Torres coming in for the injured Mings.
Due to the quick turnaround between games, the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Youri Tielemans should both feature from the start and will look to play themselves into Unai Emery’s thinking for Sunday’s trip to Burnley.
Jhon Durán: "It's very special." 🥰 pic.twitter.com/7aX2hglPaV
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 21, 2023
Though changes are in the offing for Villa, it is unlikely Emery will make wholesale changes for such an important knockout clash. That is likely to mean a start for the lethal attacking combo of Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby, with the former still looking to get off the mark by scoring his first goal of the season.
Jhon Duran marked his return from injury with a goalscoring cameo over the weekend, but would have to settle for a bench role, alongside potential debutant Nicolo Zaniolo. Meanwhile, Aston Villa captain John McGinn should be primed for a big outing at his former home.
The Scottish international will likely encounter a warm reception, having been a key part of the Hibs squad that won the Scottish Cup in 2015/16, the club’s first cup triumph in 114 years, and Premiership promotion the following year.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Tielemans, Kamara; Diaby, McGinn, Coutinho; Watkins
Key Stats
- Aston Villa’s UEFA Europa Conference League opener in midweek will be their first European appearance since the 2010/11 campaign.
- There have been ten goals across Aston Villa’s opening two Premier League games.
- Aston Villa’s first two Premier League appearances have produced ten goals at both ends of the pitch.
- Unai Emery’s men have failed to win any of their previous five Premier League contests on the road, continuing on from last season.
- Hibernian are yet to record a single clean sheet since opening up the 2023/24 campaign.
Player to Watch
Moussa Diaby
Moussa Diaby has adapted to life at Aston Villa very quickly since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in a club-record deal. After getting on the score sheet at St. James’ Park on his Premier League debut, he was unlucky not to double his tally for the season against Everton last time out.
The 24-year-old played a key role and hit an impressive volley in the first half against Everton, but was denied by a very smart stop from Jordan Pickford. Agile in transition, explosive when he beats his man, and with nimble-footed ball control, the left-footed winger is a nightmare to defend against. He will be hoping to be the difference between Villa finishing in the Conference League spot or maybe even further up the table.
Prediction
Hibernian 0-3 Aston Villa
Having seen West Ham United claim European success in this competition, Aston Villa will aim to follow suit in 2024. They certainly have the right weapon in Unai Emery, who is something of a specialist in European competitions. The Spanish tactician has lifted the Europa League on four occasions and will fancy his chances of progressing deep into this knockout tournament.
Aston Villa have already scored five times in the Premier League already, so the encounter against Hibernian looks good for goals. Hibs cannot afford to sit back at home ahead of next week’s return leg, and they will have to push forward once Villa break through their defence.
The hosts have been incredibly open since the start of the 2023/24 campaign. And the Premier League side are fancied to secure a healthy first-leg advantage here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for the visiting side, setting them up to qualify for the group stage ahead of next week’s second leg.
