Aston Villa travel to Belgium to take on Club Brugge in their latest Champions League outing tonight. They hope to continue a brilliant run of form that has positioned them at the top of the table after the three opening games.
Villa have already beaten Bologna, Young Boys and Bayern Munich in the European top-flight meaning a fourth straight victory would put them one step closer to automatically qualifying for the knockout stages of the tournament.
That won’t be easy though. Unai Emery’s men come into the game on the back of a 4-1 defeat to Tottenham in the Premier League and coupled with their exit from the Carabao Cup the midlands club find themselves in a lean run of form.
Club Brugge meanwhile have won their last three games though they haven’t performed wonderfully in Europe. Defeats to AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund leave them at risk of an early exit and they know they need points on the board to keep their hopes alive of progressing further.
Here’s everything you need to know.
When is Club Brugge vs Aston Villa?
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa is due to kick off at 5.45pm GMT on Wednesday 5 November at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage on the channel from 5pm GMT. Subscribers can stream the action via discovery+.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Team news
Club Brugge’s Gustaf Nilsson is a doubt after a recent calf injury and is still working towards being completely match fit. Raphael Onyedika is suspended after collecting a red card in his previous Champions League outing and Simon Mignolet should start in goal.
With Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara now fit again for Aston Villa their only absentee is midfielder Ross Barkley whos missed the defeat to Tottneham and could be out until the end of the upcoming international break. Unai Emery will also have to make a call at the top of the pitch with Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran both vying for starting berths and both in decent form.
Predicted line-ups
Club Brugge XI: Mignolet; Seys, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Jashari, Vetlesen; Skov Olsen, Vanaken, Tzolis; Vermant
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins
Odds
Club Brugge win 21/10
Draw 9/5
Aston Villa win 1/1
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Prediction
Having suffered a heavy defeat to Tottenham at the weekend Aston Villa will want to prove their credentials in Europe once more. They’ve won all three of their games thus far and come into the gameweek sitting top of the table. Unai Emery is a master of getting results out of his teams, especially in European competition, so expect a close affair that just falls Villa’s way.
Club Brugge 0-1 Aston Villa.
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