Aston Villa will host Club Brugge at Villa Park in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday, eagerto book their place in the quarter-finals.
Aston Villa picked up a 3-1 win vs Club Brugge away from home in the first round of the knockout round, and they will be confident of getting the job done in front of their own fans. The Villans certainly the better team, and they will be expected to grind out a comfortable victory at home.
It will be interesting to see if they can put on a professional performance and get the job done. Meanwhile, the Belgian outfit will be thoroughly disappointed with the way they performed at home, and it remains to be seen whether they can bounce back strongly. Club Brugge have been quite inconsistent and they need to raise their performance levels to get back into the tie.
The Blauw-Zwart will need a major slice of luck to get to the next round, and it remains to be seen how the situation unfolds. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Aston Villa will be without Amadou Onana, who is ruled out with a knock. Ross Barkley misses out with a calf issue, while Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia are ineligible.
Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Club Brugge, with Emiliano Martinez in goal. Matty Cash 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 form the central defensive partnership alongside Axel Disasi.
As for the midfield unit, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans will look to add control and 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 lead the line for Aston Villa vs Club Brugge on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Disasi, Digne; McGinn, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Rashford; Watkins
Club Brugge
The visitors will be without Joaquin Seys and Bjorn Meijer due to knocks. Club Brugge are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Aston Villa at Villa Park on Wednesday, with Simon Mignolet in goal.
Kyriani Sabbe and Maxim De Cuyper are expected to start as the full-backs. They will look to hit Villa on the break. Joel Ordonez and Brandon Mechele will pair up at the heart of the defence.
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 start in the number ten role and Gustaf Nilsson will lead the line for Club Brugge.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Mignolet; Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechele, Cuyper; Jashari, Vanaken; Olsen, Nielsen, Tzolis; Nilsson
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have picked up four wins from the last five matches in all competitions.
- Club Brugge have picked up two wins from their last six matches in all competitions.
- Five goals have been scored in the last two meetings between these two teams.
- Club Brugge have conceded ten goals in the last six matches in all competitions.
- Marco Asensio has scored ten UEFA Champions League goals in 50 games as a substitute (both more than any other player), netting Aston Villa’s third goal from the spot in the first leg. As a starter in 20 games, Asensio has scored three goals from 46 shots (6.5%), compared to 10 goals from 49 shots as a sub (20.4%).
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
Club Brugge have been quite vulnerable defensively, and Ollie Watkins is our key player to watch out for. The Aston Villa striker will look to add to his goal tally for the season, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates as well.
The Belgian outfit have not been at their best defensively and Watkins could punish them here. Aston Villa will depend on the English international to make a defining contribution in the final third this week.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-0 Club Brugge
Aston Villa will be the overwhelming favourites after their performances last week, and they should be able to book their place in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League with a positive result at home.
Club Brugge have not been at their best in their recent outing, and they have picked up just two wins from the last six matches in all competitions. They will be the underdogs here and they are likely to crash to yet another defeat. A comfortable home win is on the cards for the West Midlands club. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 victory for Unai Emery and his charges.
