Aston Villa will host Juventus at Villa Park on Wednesday, looking to continue the impressive start to their UEFA Champions League campaign.
Aston Villa have picked up three wins from four UEFA Champions League games this season, including an impressive victory over Bayern Munich, as they get set to welcome Juventus to Villa Park on Wednesday.
The home side will certainly fancy their chances of getting something out of this game at home, and it remains to be seen how the situation develops. Meanwhile, Juventus have picked up two wins from their four Champions League outings, and they will look to climb up the table with the victory here.
The Bianconeri are one of the biggest clubs in the world, and they will certainly look to grind out all three points. It remains to be seen whether they can step up and deliver. The last time these two sides met back in 2009, Aston Villa picked up a win.
Aston Villa were beaten by Club Brugge in their last Champions League outing, and the players will be desperate to bounce back here. Juventus are winless in their last two Champions League outings as well. Both teams will be under pressure to get a good result here.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Jacob Ramsey is ruled out with a thigh injury for the hosts. Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Juventus, with Emiliano Martinez in goal. Ezri Konsa and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and hit Juventus on the break. Diego Carlos will start alongside Pau Torres at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Amadou Onana will look to break down opposition attacks and win the ball back for his side in the midfield and Youri Tielemans will look to control the tempo of the game alongside him.
Leon Bailey and Morgan Rogers will add flair and creativity to the side from the wide areas. John McGinn will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to link up with Ollie Watkins in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Bailey; Watkins
Juventus
The away side have a number of injury issues to deal with. They will be without Juan Cabal because of an ACL injury. Vasilije Adzic is ruled out with a muscle problem, Douglas Luiz is sidelined with a hamstring injury, Nicolas Gonzalez has a thigh injury, and Geison Bremer is out for the season with ACL damage.
Juventus are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Aston Villa, with Michele Di Gregorio in goal. Nicolo Savona and Andrea Cambiaso will start in the full-back areas. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Federico Gatti will form the central defensive pairing alongside Pierre Kalulu.
As for the midfield unit, Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram will pair up in the double pivot, and the duo will add defensive cover and physicality to the side. Teun Koopmeiners will reprise the attacking midfield role, and he will look to add goals and creativity to the side.
Francisco Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz will start on the flanks. They will add pace, flair and unpredictability to the Juventus attack against Aston Villa. Dusan Vlahovic will lead the line for the away side on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Kalulu, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Vlahovic
Key Stats
- Juventus are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions, winning two in the process.
- Aston Villa have lost four of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Aston Villa have conceded just once in four Champions League outings.
- Juventus have conceded five goals in four Champions League outings.
- Juventus have kept three clean sheets in their last four outings in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
The Aston Villa striker is our key player to watch out for. The English international has six goals and three assists to his name in all competitions so far this season, and he will look to make his mark against Juventus.
Aston Villa will need their star striker’s quality to find a way past the Juventus defence. Watkins is more than just a goalscorer, and his ability to hold up the ball and bring others into the play could prove to be vital.
Prediction
Aston Villa 1-1 Juventus
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Aston Villa are in disappointing form right now, and they have failed to win any of their last six matches in all competitions. On the other hand, Juventus have picked up just two wins in their last six matches across all competitions.
Neither side are in top form right now, and they are likely to take a cautious approach. They will not want to end up on the losing side here. The two sides are likely to cancel each other out and share the spoils. A goalscoring draw seems quite likely here.