Aston Villa host Viking in the Champions League as they aim to continue their winning run.
After following up a 6-0 thumping of Fenerbahce with a 1-0 win at Newcastle Untied, Villa are seeking a third successive win in all competitions.
They welcome a Viking side that has already shown they are no pushovers, having claimed a 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich in their previous league phase clash.
101GreatGoals has the full team news.
Aston Villa team news
Unai Emery makes four changes from the XI that started the win at St James’ Park.
Pau Torres, John McGinn, Ross Barkley and Ibrahim Mbaye come into the starting line-up, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Matty Cash, Boubacar Kamara and Johan Manzambi dropping out.
Wan Bissaka and Manzambi are both out injured, with the former’s absence meaning one of Joao Gomes or McGinn will play as a makeshift right-back.
Aston Villa: Suzuki; Gomes, Lindelof, Torres, Mings; McGinn, Barkley; Alysson, Buendia, Mbaye; Jackson.
Aston Villa substitutes: Bizot, Wright, Cash, Harwood-Bellis, Kamara, Garnacho, Abraham, Maatsen, Bogarde, Goretzka, Hemmings.
Viking team news
Viking’s starting XI also features four changes from their win over Fredrikstad last weekend.
Herman Haugen comes in at right-back, while Jesper Daland also slots into the backline at the heart of the defence.
Kristoffer Askildsen starts as part of the midfield three, with captain Zlatko Tripic providing the threat from the left side of Viking’s attacking trio.
Vetle Auklend, Henrik Falchener, Simen Kvia-Egeskog and Niklas Fuglestad drop to the bench.
Viking: Ostbo; H. Haugen, Stensness, Daland, Heggheim; Askildsen, Bell, Moi; Christiansen, Botheim, Tripic
Viking substitutes: Belko, Vevatne, Postema, Bjordal, Bassey, Cosic, Fuglestad, Auklend, Falchener, Kvia-Egeskog, K. Haugen, Jansen.
Where to Watch Aston Villa v Viking: TV and online streams
Aston Villa versus Viking kicks off at 8pm BST on Wednesday, October 21 at Villa Park.
The match is live on TNT Sports 2 in the UK. In the US, it’s on Paramount+ at 3pm ET.
If you live outside the UK, click the LINK HERE to find out where to watch it in your region.
Stats for Aston Villa v Viking
- This is the first game between the sides.
- Viking’s only previous matches against English opposition came in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup first round, when they lost 2-1 at Chelsea then won 4-2 at home to go through 5-4 on aggregate.
- Villa have won both of their matches against Norwegian opposition, against Strømsgodset in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup first round (3-2 h, 3-0 a).
- This is Villa’s second Champions League campaign; they reached the quarter-finals on debut in 2024/25, losing 4-5 on aggregate against eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
- Unai Emery’s team lifted the Europa League in 2025/26, finishing second in the league phase (W7 L1) before beating Lille (3-0 aggregate), Bologna (7-1) and fellow English side Nottingham Forest (4-1) to reach the final, where they defeated Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul.
- Villa were beaten 2-1 by Paris in the UEFA Super Cup on 12 August.
- This is Viking’s first Champions League campaign since 1992/93, when they lost 0-1 on aggregate to Barcelona in the first round (0-1 a, 0-0 h).
- Viking have reached a European group stage/league phase only once, finishing fourth in their five-team section in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage.
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