Why Aston Villa have perfect blueprint vs Fenerbahce as Marco Asensio returns

Aston Villa are set to welcome Marco Asensio back to Villa Park with Fenerbahce.

Champions League football returns to B6 for the first time since April 2025 this week.

The Turkish giants are set for a trip to the Midlands on Wednesday in the second outing of the league phase.

Unai Emery will be keen to maintain a 100 per cent record in Europe's elite competition after a 3-2 win away to Club Brugge last time out.

The clash at Villa Park also represents a chance to get a glimpse of Asensio for the first time since his loan ended.

It is the second time the Spaniard will face the Villans, giving the hosts a better chance to prepare.

What do Aston Villa know about Marco Asensio?

The claret and blue faithful certainly have fond memories of the attacking midfielder.

He may have only featured for Villa across six months, but he certainly made a positive impression.

The 30-year-old went on to feature 30 times in all competitions and contributed to a quite excellent nine goals.

His first two came against Chelsea in February 2025 as he also created two chances in a stunning link up with Marcus Rashford.

It is a long time since those days and Villa have faced him since.

Asensio faced the Villans in last season's Europa League as a Jadon Sancho goal made all the difference.

The attacker completed the most dribbles on the pitch with three that night and also created two chances, despite a lack of goals.

That gave the Villans everything they need to know about Asensio, but he can still have a telling say on the upcoming B6 clash.

Asensio coming to Villa Park on form for Fenerbahce

The 1996-born star was great in the Premier League and has since followed that up in the Super Lig.

Since last summer, he has scored and assisted 29 goals, including three in eight games to start this season.

His most recent came as he opened the scoring against Rizespor on Saturday.

Asensio also created one chance and continued to make an impact with one dribble attempts before swinging in two crosses.

That puts him in a positive vein of form ahead of his Midlands return.

Villa will hope they have enough information to deal with the Spaniard in the Champions League.