Aston Villa v Juventus preview: Team news, betting odds, prediction
Unai Emery will be eager for his Aston Villa side to return to winning ways in the Champions League when they host Juventus on Wednesday.
The Villans fell to a 1-0 defeat away to Club Brugge last time out in the competition and are in the midst of a six-match winless run across all competitions heading into the clash.
Preview
Villa are still well on track to finish in the top eight of the Champions League this term and could all but secure their progression with a victory against Juventus.
Emery’s men lost in the most contentious circumstances in Belgium as Tyrone Mings handled the ball after Emi Martinez took his goal kick, and Hans Vanaken tucked away the subsequent penalty.
However, despite going a goal down twice at Villa Park on the weekend, the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace was a more positive showing – just – for the Villans after a run of four consecutive losses before the international break.
Martinez looked back to his usual self on Saturday (23 November), but the Argentine has kept only one clean sheet all season and will need to be at the top of his game to thwart Juventus.
Thiago Motta’s side sit sixth in the Serie A table, only four points adrift of league leaders Napoli, and they are currently undefeated after 13 matches.
In the Champions League, the Old Lady followed a 1-0 defeat to Stuttgart in Turin with a 1-1 draw away to Lille, so Emery will be fancying his chances heading into Wednesday with home advantage.
Form Guide [Champions League]
Aston Villa: LWWW
Juventus: DLWW
Team News for Aston Villa v Juventus
The Villans will be without Amadou Onana for the Champions League clash, and the Belgian is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks after sustaining an injury on international duty.
Ezri Konsa missed the draw with Crystal Palace on the weekend after picking up a knock with England and will also be missing on Wednesday alongside Boubacar Kamara and Jacob Ramsey, who has yet to feature for the Villans since the 2-0 loss against Liverpool.
For Juventus, the injury list is extensive heading into the clash at Villa Park, with Dusan Vlahovic, Arkadiusz Milik, Nicholas Gonzalez, Juan Cabal, Bremer and former Villa man Douglas Luiz confirmed absentees.
Predicted lineups for Aston Villa v Juventus
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Carlos, Torres, Digne, Barkley, Tielemans, Bailey, McGinn, Rogers, Watkins
Juventus: Di Gregorio, Cambiaso, Gatti, Kalulu, Savona, Locatelli, Thuram, Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz, Weah
Betting Odds
Aston Villa: 13/10
Draw: 9/4
Juventus: 9/4
Prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 Juventus
While Villa are heading into this fixture as the out-of-form side between the pair, Villa Park will be bouncing on Wednesday night.
Juventus are depleted across the forward line and may struggle for goals, but if the contest becomes a shootout, Emery’s man should come out on top.
There may never be a better opportunity for Aston Villa to claim another major European scalp in the Champions League, and after six matches without a win, the tide could turn for the hosts.
In other Aston Villa news, Ross Barkley sends two-word message to John McGinn after Villa landmark.
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