Club Brugge v Aston Villa preview: Team news, head-to-head, betting odds, prediction
Aston Villa will be keen to bounce back to winning ways as they travel to face Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Villans are coming into the clash in Europe’s elite competition off the back of a negative week which has included back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Tottenham.
Unai Emery will be targeting three points in Belgium on 6 November to maintain his side’s 100 per cent record in the league phase.
Preview
Villa have an opportunity to right the wrongs of their most recent clash in North London where nothing quite went right.
Despite going 1-0 up through Morgan Rogers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the away side fell to a 4-1 defeat as they conceded four in the second half.
There was very little positivity to speak of and supporters will be keen to not let any negativity from this defeat seep into their Champions League form.
Three wins from three in the league phase now sees Villa sitting top of the tree and they will now be keen to maintain their record against Brugge.
The Pro League outfit are unbeaten in their last five league games and sit second in the table but haven’t been so good in Europe.
This is the first time that Villa have faced Brugge in their 150 and 132-year histories respectively, marking a historic moment for both sides.
Form Guide (Champions League)
Club Brugge: LWL
Aston Villa: WWW
Team News
The Villans have just one injury concern after Ross Barkley missed the trip to face Tottenham and is likely to be out for a few weeks.
Similarly, Brugge don’t have any fresh fitness worries with Andreas Skov Olsen a potential doubt despite starting, scoring and featuring across 74 minutes last time out against OH Leuven.
Raphael Onyedika will be absent from the clash due to a red card picked up in the last clash against AC Milan.
This will lead to an interesting clash between two sides who are both at as close to full strength as they could hope.
Predicted Lineups
Club Brugge: Mignolet, Sabbe, Spileers, Mechele, De Cuyper, Jashari, Nielsen, Olsen, Vanaken, Tzolis, Jutgla
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen, Ramsey, Tielemans, Onana, Bailey, Rogers, Watkins
Betting Odds
Club Brugge: 12/5
Draw: 15/4
Aston Villa: 11/10
Prediction: Club Brugge 1-2 Aston Villa
After the defeat against Tottenham, Emery was clearly fuming and as a result, he is likely to get a reaction out of his side against Club Brugge.
The Spaniard could look to make changes but utilising a similar side and allowing them to right their wrongs could be a smart move.
It is hard to know how the clash will go considering both sides are nearly full strength but the Belgian outfit have conceded six in three games while scoring just two.
After a terrible defensive showing in North London, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the home side got on the scoresheet but the Villans will feel confident of getting back to winning ways.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery has revealed how he helped one star reach his “best level”.
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