Craig Bellamy makes huge Aston Villa Champions League prediction
Aston Villa are gearing up for the biggest game in their recent history against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Villa head into their huge clash in Paris on Wednesday in a rich vein of form, having won their last seven games in all competitions.
Emery’s side proved their quality yet again when they beat third-place Nottingham Forest 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.
The West Midlands giants clinched another top-flight victory thanks to goals from Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen, but will now turn their attention back to the Champions League.
Craig Bellamy tips Aston Villa to win the Champions League
Wales boss Craig Bellamy made 293 Premier League appearances, plying his trade for the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
| Craig Bellamy stats | Premier League |
| Appearances | 293 |
| Goals | 81 |
| Assists | 31 |
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football (7 April), Bellamy made a huge prediction: “I’ve got a funny feeling with Aston Villa with the Champions League.
“I really do. I felt it in September, the manager’s experience of this level of a tournament. The way they’re organised.”
Presenter David Jones asked: “When you say you’ve got a funny feeling, do you think they can actually win the thing?”
Bellamy replied: “Honestly, I felt of all the British teams, Aston Villa’s the one to watch out in this tournament. Because of the manager, and they have players. They have real quality.”
Craig Bellamy gives us his predictions for the race for Champions League places 👀📊 pic.twitter.com/VGTuFC8qOp
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 7, 2025
Emery must rest players when Villa play Southampton in the Premier League
As alluded to by Bellamy, Villa boast a talented squad of players and a top-quality manager in Emery who knows what it takes to win a big European trophy.
Meanwhile, the West Midlands outfit face a Premier League clash with already-relegated Southampton on Saturday, which is sandwiched between the legs of their Champions League quarter-final.
While Villa should still be keen to finish as high up in the Premier League table as possible, Emery and Co must now prioritise their Champions League run.
With that in mind, Emery should rest some of his star players when his side travels to Southampton on 12 April, to keep his squad as fresh as possible for their second leg with PSG on 15 April.
The argument could also be made that a rotated Villa side should still have more than enough quality to beat a Southampton side who have been relegated from the Premier League with seven games still left to play.