It has been a rough few months for Aston Villa but they have the chance to kick-start their season in Belgium tonight when they face Club Brugge in their Champions League opener.
Villa won the Europa League in May but have since lost many of the key men from that win over Freiburg with six members of the starting XI moving on, including the likes of Emiliano Martinez, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins.
Unai Emery has brought in replacements but they have yet to gel and Villa remain winless after three Premier League games.
Club Brugge have won four of five in the Belgian First Division and will see this as an opportunity. The teams met in the Champions League two seasons ago with Club Brugge winning a league phase clash at home before Villa won home and away in the round of 16.
CLUB BRUGGE TEAM NEWS
Club Brugge: Sommer, Sabbe, Han-Beom Lee, Mechele, Seys, Vetlesen, Potts, Vanaken, Forbs, Tresoldi, Virgilli
Club Brugge Substitutes: Jackers, Driessche, Tsawa, Vermant, Mike, Siquet, Coulibaly, Spileers, Audoor, DIakhon, Vasovic, Lemarechal
ASTON VILLA TEAM NEWS
Aston Villa: Suzuki, Lindelof, McGinn, Kamara, Buendia, Jackson, Pau, Maatsen, Wan-Bissaka, Gomes, Hemmings
Aston Villa Substitutes: Bizot, Wright, Mings, Barkley, Ruggeri, Garnacho, Abraham, Mbaye, Bogarde, Alysson
How to watch Club Brugge v Aston Villa
Club Brugge versus Aston Villa kicks off at 5.45pm UK time. You can watch it on TNT Sports 1. You can also stream it on HBO Max.
If you live outside the UK, click the LINK HERE to find out where to watch it in your region.
Stats for Club Brugge v Aston Villa
- All three of the sides’ previous fixtures came in the 2024/25 Champions League. Club Brugge triumphed 1-0 in Belgium on Matchday 4 – Hans Vanaken scoring the only goal – before the English side won 3-1 away and 3-0 at home in the round of 16, Ian Maatsen scoring in the second leg.
- That 2024 victory against Villa is Club Brugge’s only success in their last 19 matches against English teams (D3 L15); a 0-3 home loss to Arsenal on Matchday 6 last season was their fourth in a row, conceding three goals in each, and seventh in eight games (W1).
- Club Brugge won six of their first seven home games against English visitors (D1); their 2024 victory against Villa is their only success in the subsequent nine (D2 L6).
- Villa have won three of their last five matches against Belgian teams (D1 L1).
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