Here’s our RB Leipzig Vs Aston Villa preview, prediction, team news and confirmed lineups ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash.
RB Leipzig Vs Aston Villa Preview
Aston Villa made an electric start to their first season back at Europe’s top table in decades.
Three straight wins took them to the top of the pile, but they have since picked up just a point from their last two in the competition.
Things have taken an equally sharp downturn on the domestic front. Prior to their scrappy 1-0 win over bottom club Southampton, Villa had won just once in their previous seven league games, beating Brentford after a six-game winless run.
They slipped out of the Champions League top eight with a loss to Club Brugge in Belgium and a drab goalless draw at home to Juventus.
But a shining light in Europe has been Jhon Duran. The club’s top scorer in Europe this season, he will be hoping to inspire Unai Emery’s men to a much-needed victory against one of the Champions League’s biggest disappointments this season.
RB Leipzig were never fancied to win the competition, but would certainly have hoped to make the knockout stages.
The German outfit have lost all five games in Europe so far, and know anything but a victory against Villa will almost certainly see them eliminated.
However, Leipzig fans can feel somewhat hard done by. Four of their five losses have been in tight games against elite opponents.
They have lost by one goal to Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Juventus and Inter Milan. A 3-1 defeat at Celtic is perhaps their worst result, but they can be forgiven for struggling elsewhere.
A sixth consecutive defeat would be Leipzig’s worst-ever losing streak in the Champions League – as well as the longest by any German club since Bayer Leverkusen in 2003.
In the Bundesliga, things are looking better. They are currently fourth in the table, only three points below Eintracht Frankfurt in second.
They also knocked Frankfurt out of the DFB-Pokal recently, and will be hoping to translate their domestic form onto the continental stage on Tuesday.
Back on the road in the UEFA Champions League 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/jN9OTmtHKa
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 9, 2024
RB Leipzig VS Aston Villa Team News
Former Bundesliga star Leon Bailey pulled his hamstring against Southampton, so will be sidelined for Villa.
Amadou Onana returned from a foot injury at the weekend, meaning Unai Emery’s squad is almost back to full strength. Only Jacob Ramsey (hamstring) is sidelined for now, along with Bailey.
Newly-capped England youngster Morgan Rogers has impressed this season, and should start in attack alongside Ollie Watkins.
Jhon Duran is expected to once again make an impact from the bench.
Leipzig are not so lucky on the injury front. Castello Lukeba is both suspended and injured, and will hope to shake off his thigh issue by the time he is eligible to play again next match.
Xavi Simons is out with an ankle problem, and will be a big loss for the German side. Elsewhere, all of El Chadaille Bitshiabu (muscular), Eljif Elmas (hamstring), Yussuf Poulsen (thigh) and Germany international David Raum (ankle) are still missing.
Slovenian superstar Benjamin Sesko already has two goals for Leipzig in this year’s Champions League. Netting in the losses to Juve and Atletico, he also has five goals for Slovenia in the Nations League.
He will be aided up front by Lois Openda and Antonio Nusa, the latter of which bagged three assists in last week’s cup victory.
RB Leipzig Vs Aston Villa Confirmed Lineups
RB Leipzig: Gulacsi; Geertruida, Seiwald, Orban, Henrichs; Baumgartner, Haidara, Vermeeren, Nusa; Sesko, Openda
Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Carlos, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn; Watkins
RB Leipzig Vs Aston Villa Prediction
Hosts RB Leipzig have been terrible in Europe so far this season. With five straight losses, only goal difference is keeping them off the bottom of the table.
While Villa have been in poor form recently, they have shone in this competition. Emery’s side will see Tuesday’s game as a great opportunity to secure a big away win and reset their season.
We think it will be a tight game, but expect Villa to get the job done.
Prediction: RB Leipzig 1-2 Aston Villa
