Why Club Brugge are set to ask plenty of faltering Aston Villa department

Aston Villa begin their Champions League campaign away at Club Brugge on Tuesday night.

Unai Emery's side are winless in their last six games in all competitions, cultivating a tense atmosphere around Villa Park at present.

Indeed, Villa are yet to score a goal in the Premier League this season after being held to a 0-0 draw away at Hull City on Saturday.

The Champions League perhaps offers the Villains a welcome distraction then, and the chance to find a catalyst for an upturn in form.

Belgian champions Club Brugge are Villa's first test in the league phase, and are former runners-up in 1978.

And if anyone of a Villa persuasion believes it's going to be a straightforward task for Emery's men, think again.

Where Club Brugge dominate Belgian rivals ahead of Aston Villa clash

Winners of the Belgian First Division 20 times and runners-up on 26 occasions, Club Brugge are one of Belgium's most successful sides.

They are experienced campaigners in European club competitions as a result, and won't fear the visit of Aston Villa.

So far in 2026-27, Brugge have played five league games, winning four and losing just the once.

There are two key areas where Ivan Leko's side are dominating their Belgian league opposition though, and it's not great news for Villa.

As per FotMob, Brugge lead the Belgian First Division for average possession per game at 65.7 per cent.

The next closest team to them is Anderlecht on 59.9 per cent, and for context, Villa's Premier League average this term is 46.6 per cent.

Brugge also play far and away the most accurate passes per game with 583.8, with Anderlecht again being closest to that with 478.4.

On top of this, their 0.4 goals conceded per game is the joint-best in the Belgian top flight too, and no side has kept more clean sheets than their four.

So, the keys to an Aston Villa result in Belgium would appear to rest heavily on their defence.

Brugge are set to monopolise the ball, remaining patient in their build-up play as they probe the Villa backline for weaknesses.

Villa's defence must stay compact, switched on and organised then, which is something they've not been doing whatsoever this season.

What do the numbers say about Villa's defence in 2026-27 so far?

If you'd have told Villa fans their side would be sitting 17th and winless from their opening three games of 2026-27, many would've laughed.

That is the reality of things though, made even worse considering no goals have been scored and five have been picked out of their own net.

Hull did at least stem the tide in this regard, but there were still precious few positives to take from the trip to the MKM Stadium.

Per FotMob, Villa rank third-last for interceptions per game in the Premier League this season with 5.0, which doesn't bode well for breaking up Brugge's passing.

Meanwhile, only Newcastle average fewer possessions won in the final third (1.0) than Villa's 1.3.

Villa's 111.4 kilometres covered per game ranks as the second-lowest in the Premier League this term as well, again playing into Brugge's hands.

So, if Emery's side are going to win in Belgium on Tuesday night, the numbers suggest they will require their best performance of 2026-27.