Champions League news: Club Brugge vs Aston Villa – Preview and team selection
Club Brugge are set to host Aston Villa in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash on Tuesday evening.
Despite enduring an underwhelming Premier League season so far, Villa are thriving in cup competitions and beat Cardiff 2-0 in the FA Cup on Friday.
As a result, Unai Emery’s side head to Belgium full of confidence and dreaming of a deep run in Europe.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Harrison Pearce takes a look at Villa’s impressive form on the continent.
Villa enjoying cup competitions this season
Since the competition’s rebranding in 1992, Aston Villa had not appeared in a Champions League knockout round until this season.
In a campaign that has seen plenty of ups and downs in the Premier League, the inability to put together a consistent away run has been a key factor in the drop-off in quality compared to last year.
The cup competitions have, however, been a standout for the Midlands club, who have beaten the likes of Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, and Celtic leading up to this point.
Emery, it must be said, is a master of knockout football, having won nine trophies in his managerial career. His presence will always give Villa the edge over most teams in cup competitions.
Looking ahead, Villa have a fantastic opportunity to end the season with a trophy as they find themselves in the round of 16 of the Champions League and the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
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Emery’s likely line-up
After being pulled off at half-time against Crystal Palace, Emiliano Martinez made up for that underwhelming performance as he got a clean sheet in the 2-0 FA Cup win against Cardiff.
Martinez has not been at his best this season, conceding 45 goals to sit one place lower than Aaron Ramsdale at soon-to-be-relegated Southampton.
You could argue that the chopping and changing of the defence has not helped the Argentine goalkeeper, with there having been only one fit centre-back at times this season.
Unless Tyrone Mings, Pau Torres, or Axel Disasi become available, Emery will have no choice but to continue with the two defenders who led the line against Cardiff.
Ezri Konsa has been an ever-present for the Midlands club in his five years, and who better to learn from than him for young Lamare Bogarde, who has come into his own this season and earned valuable minutes in a number of positions.
The midfield and attack will most likely stay the same, with there one or two changes depending on Marcus Rashford’s fitness and ability to play 90 minutes.
Even though Villa have a lot of squad depth on paper, they have been riddled with injuries throughout the season across all positions.
In midfield, Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara, and Ross Barkley have all spent large periods on the sidelines, so it might be the same two in midfield once again.
Star striker Ollie Watkins is certain to start the game as he will want to try and gain some momentum heading into the latter stages of the season.
The England international has not scored for three games and needs to get involved sooner rather than later.
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Deadly duo hold the keys
Loan signings Rashford and Marco Asensio are creating a brutal partnership in front of goal and adding wonderfully to Villa’s attacking options.
Rashford has been mainly providing assists, while Asensio already has four goals in a claret and blue shirt since joining in January.
Before both signed on the dotted line, Villa had width from Leon Bailey but Jacob Ramsey was much narrower in getting the ball deeper in midfield.
In contrast, Rashford provides width on the left-hand side, runs at defenders, and plays a lot closer towards the second striker in Asensio.
Rashford has now created 13 scoring chances in all competitions, which is more than any other Premier League player since his Villa debut on 9 February.
These two players have a wealth of experience and are certainly bringing something fresh to the Villa attack, so it is a case of so far so good for Emery and company.
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Club Brugge’s Champions League record
Club Brugge currently sit second in the Belgian Pro League, nine points behind Genk.
The Belgian team has been very impressive in the Champions League, however, beating Atalanta 3-1 across two legs to progress to the round of 16.
Their dynamic attack was the reason why they won the game because, even though they did not have much possession or many shots, they were very clinical when breaking on the counter.
This will be a tough game for Villa and Emery, with Club Brugge happy to take on the underdogs tag after their dispatching of Atalanta while being the so-called underdogs.
Villa must quite simply be at their best if they want to take a step towards the next round of the Champions League.
MORE FROM HARRISON PEARCE: Premier League news: Rashford and Asensio reignite Aston Villa’s season in comeback victory over Chelsea
