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November 5 2024, 11:53 · Alex Lawes

Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Champions League | League Phase

Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
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Club Brugge have started with a couple of defeats from a couple of tough matches in this season’s UEFA Champions League as they now prepare to face 100%-ers Aston Villa at the Janbreydelstadion this week. 

KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Wednesday 6th October, 2024 - UK – 5:45pm / US ET – 12:45pm / US PT – 9:45am

HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Not televised

HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – Discovery+ / US – Paramount+

CLUB BRUGGE PREVIEW: INCONSISTENCY TO START

Club Brugge come into this one on the back of a slender 1-0 defeat of Oud-Heverlee Leuven in their most recent outing at the weekend thanks to a 58th minute winner from Andreas Skov Olsen. That makes it three wins on the bounce across all competitions for the Belgians since losing to AC Milan at San Siro a couple of weeks ago.

They have started their 2024/25 UEFA Champions League campaign with two defeats and a victory in their opening three matches. They suffered a 3-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund with three late goals before then edging past Austrian champions Sturm Graz. That has been followed up by the aforementioned 3-1 loss to the Rossoneri. 

ASTON VILLA PREVIEW: REDISCOVERING THEIR TOUCH

Aston Villa, playing in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over 40 years, have started the campaign with three wins from three and they haven’t conceded in the process. They began with a 3-0 hammering of Young Boys before then defeating Bayern Munich by a goal to nil and then Bologna by two goals to nil a couple of weeks ago.

Unai Emery’s Villains have started the season very well but they do come into this one on the back of back-to-back defeats and just three wins in their last eight matches across all competitions. They went ahead at Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend and eventually suffered a 4-1 loss in north London. 

CLUB BRUGGE TEAM NEWS: ONYEDIKA SUSPENSION

In that clash with AC Milan, key man Raphael Onyedika was sent off in the 40th minute with the score just 1-0 and he is now missing through suspension for the hosts in this one.

Club Brugge have a fair bit of experience as well as exciting talents with the two behind the attacker, Skov Olsen and Christos Tzolis, the key men for this one. 

PREDICTED XI (3-4-2-1): Mignolet; Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Vetlesen, Jashari, Vanaken; Skov Olsen, Tzolis; Nilsson

UNAVAILABLE: Onyedika (Suspended)

QUESTIONABLE: Seys (Injured)

ASTON VILLA TEAM NEWS: POTENTIAL ROTATION

There was always going to be a concern that quite a small Villa squad would eventually begin to feel the effects of playing a lot more football this season with further European commitments.

Former Chelsea and Everton midfielder Ross Barkley is missing with a hamstring injury but he is the only definite absentee for Unai Emery and Aston Villa.  

PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins

UNAVAILABLE: Barkley (Injured)

QUESTIONABLE: 

KEY STATS

  • Club Brugge are without a win in their last 14 UEFA competition matches against English teams (D3 L11). Since a 1-0 home victory against Chelsea in the Cup Winners’ Cup in February 1995.
  • The 3-0 defeat against Dortmund on Matchday 1 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, is Club Brugge’s only loss in their last ten UEFA competition matches at home (W6 D3).
  • Club Brugge have lost four of their last five matches in the UEFA Champions League proper (W1).
  • Hans Vanaken needs one goal to become the first player to score ten goals in the UEFA Champions League proper for Club Brugge.
  • Aston Villa have won eight and drawn one of their last nine group/league phase matches in UEFA competitions.
  • Aston Villa have lost only three of their previous 18 European Cup/UEFA Champions League matches (W12 D3).
  • A victory for Aston Villa would see them start a UEFA competition campaign with four successive wins for the first time.
  • Aston Villa could become the fourth club to win each of their opening four matches of their debut UEFA Champions League group/league phase campaign, after Milan (1992/93), Paris Saint-Germain (1994/95) and Juventus (1995/96).
  • Aston Villa’s most recent UEFA competition matches against a Belgian team were in the 1981/82 European Cup semi-finals when they defeated Anderlecht 1-0 on aggregate (1-0 h, 0-0 a) on their way to winning the competition.

CLUB BRUGGE VS ASTON VILLA PREDICTION

Club Brugge have started the season very slowly and are languishing in the UEFA Champions League but the new format does mean that they have a real chance of squeezing into the top 24 and the knockout playoff spots. The format also means that Aston Villa have pretty much already qualified so, with fixtures building up and potential rotation or distraction for Villa, it could well be a good value bet to side with the Belgians, especially with their home advantage. 

CLUB BRUGGE VS ASTON VILLA TIP: DOUBLE CHANCE – CLUB BRUGGE TO WIN OR DRAW