Back in 1982, Aston Villa against Bayern Munich was the European cup final which the Villans won 1-0 in Rotterdam. Fast forward 42 years and the German juggernaut will once again bring the Birmingham outfit to Villa Park on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League. The English side are back at Europe’s top table for the first time since 1983 and the Bavarians will see what it means for the club’s fans that Uni Emery and his players have ended that long wait.
A 2-2 draw away at Ipswich Town at the weekend puts Villa fifth in the Premier League table when second was within reach. However, the club’s incredible renaissance under Emery continues and six home wins in the UEFA Conference League last year led to a semi-final place as part of a first continental outing in 13 years. The Spaniard has a reputation as a European expert, with Bayern having experienced this twice with only three of 20 UCL group games lost – one of those against Bayern with Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
Kompany’s men lost their 100% record at the weekend with a 1-1 draw against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern are unbeaten in 41 group stages with 37 wins since September 2017 with 12 quarter-finals from 13 appearances in the knockout rounds. Victory at Villa Park as part of a route to a last eight finish will be part of Kompany’s plan in this new League phase.
Here are our stories, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, October 2 | Time: 3 pm ET
- Location: Villa Park – Birmingham, England
- Check out: Most important+
- Probability: Villa +333; Draw +320; Bayern -133
League phase so far
Both Villa and Bayern enjoyed big wins in the opening round of games with the Villans scoring three times in Switzerland away at Young Boys while the Bavarians beat Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in Munich. Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey and Amadou Onana all scored for Emery’s side, who could now become the first Premier League side to win their opening two games in the UCL since Leicester City in 2016. Kompany’s side began their new a campaign with a record home win – – Die Roten are the only team to have won nine in a single Champions League match. Harry Kane scored four as part of a 30-goal tally from their first seven games.
Team news
Villa: Emery is without captain John McGinn, Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara for this one. Leon Bailey is back involved while Jhon Duran and Ollie have four goals each. Morgan Rogers got his first Premier League goal of the season at the weekend and created four chances from open play against Young Boys – the most by an English player on their debut since Danny Welbeck in 2009.
Possible Villa XI: Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins.
Bayern: Michael Olise has five goals from his last four Bayern games while Kane’s recent effort against Werder Bremen was his 41st Bundesliga strike. After limping off late against Leverkusen, he is still expected to start here. Kane has been directly involved in seven goals from six games at Villa Park while Manuel Neuer should also start here. Sacha Boey, Josip Stanisic and Hiroki Ito are all unavailable though.
Possible Bayern XI: Neuer; Guerreiro, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane.
Prediction
This is a good test for Bayern and a draw shouldn’t be ruled out, but don’t be surprised if the Germans find a way past Villa by a single goal during the 90 minutes. Choose: Villa 1, Bayern 2.
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