Kris Boyd offers Aston Villa prediction after what happened v Club Brugge
Aston Villa’s victory against Club Brugge in the Champions League has left Kris Boyd predicting what’s next for Unai Emery’s side.
The Villans made the trip to Belgium on Tuesday (5 March) in the Champions League for what was set to be a tough game, with Gabby Agbonlahor urging the side to simply not lose.
However, Emery’s side came out on top thanks to goals from Leon Bailey and Marco Asensio, either side of an own goal, meaning they head to the home leg in a strong position.
Kris Boyd puts Aston Villa on top
Clubs can never get too excited after a win at this stage in the Champions League as, with another leg to play, everything could change.
However, the away leg is usually the harder tie so for Villa to come out on top certainly puts them in a good position going back to Villa Park for the second leg on Wednesday (12 March).
Club Brugge have shown their ability to go to away grounds and cope with the pressure, having beaten Atalanta last time out in the Champions League, so it won’t be an easy tie.
Nevertheless, speaking live on Sky Sports Football (5 March), Boyd said he backs Emery’s side to get the job done as he said: “I don’t think it was Aston Villa’s best performance. I think Unai Emery was clear on that, but they’ve got a fantastic result.
“You would obviously fancy them to come back to Villa Park, get the job done. But you look at Brugge going to Atalanta in the last round. But it’s not easy to go there and score three goals and win that game.
“There’s still some work for Aston Villa to do but they’re very much in the driving seat.”
Aston Villa need to keep the pressure on
The 3-1 victory away from home was a great result for Emery’s side on Tuesday, and given they weren’t at their best levels, that certainly indicates that they can do even more.
Coming back to Villa Park on the front foot has got to give the players a sense of confidence and similarly. The supporters will be up for the game and very much ready to make a great atmosphere for their team.
| Team | Possession | Shots | Shots on target |
| Aston Villa | 44% | 7 | 4 |
| Club Brugge | 56% | 11 | 3 |
The West Midlands outfit cannot afford to get complacent, though, and they will have to increase their levels more than anything else.
Their opponents have shown they can go away and be winners and they will be eager to pull off a result on Wednesday that would see them through.
However, Emery is an experienced manager and has his side in an excellent position after one game.
The key now is just to keep the standards high and see out the job.