Aston Villa currently sit proudly at the top of the Champions League table, so can they maintain their 100% record in the league phase?
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Preview
Will Aston Villa's flawless start to this Champions League campaign continue? So far, it's played three, won three and zero goals conceded for the Claret and Blue Army, which isn't bad considering they are back in UEFA's top-tier competition after 41 years away. The undisputed highlight of their adventure so far was the famous 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, while Unai Emery's team have also beaten Young Boys 3-0 in Bern and, a fortnight ago, Bologna 2-0 at home, with John McGinn and Jhon Durán the scorers.
Thus, even with five games still to play, the Villans have probably already done enough to reach the knockout phase, but are now seeking to cement their top eight position, with fixtures against Juventus and RB Leipzig up next. In the Premier League meantime, having won only one of their last five, Emery's men have slipped down to sixth, ultimately smashed 4-1 by Tottenham on Sunday, taking a first half lead through Morgan Rogers, only to concede thrice in the final 15 minutes in North London. Nevertheless, the 1,470 Villa supporters making the pilgrimage to West Flanders will do so in high-spirits, confident of witnessing a victory.
So, how capable are Club Brugge of causing an upset? Well, so far, the Blue-Blacks have been beaten 3-0 by Borussia Dortmund at home and 3-1 by AC Milan at San Siro, despite playing reasonably well in both matches. They did get off the mark in-between on matchday two, with Christos Tzolis' goal enough to down Sturm Graz in Klagenfurt. Nicky Hayen's side therefore sit 26th in the table, needing points as they aim to sneak into the top 24, which won't be easy, given that their remaining fixtures pit them against Celtic, Sporting CP, Juventus and Man City.
Domestically, Brugge are Belgium's dominant force, winning five of the last seven Jupiler Pro League titles, currently second, claiming a third successive win by beating Oud-Heverlee Leuven on Saturday. They have though struggled to compete at Champions League level, winning only eight of their last 43 matches in this competition, while they're also winless in 14 encounters against English opposition, dating back to February 1995. Thus, victory for Villa is the most-likely outcome at Jan Breydelstadion.
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Head-to-Head Record
These two clubs have never previously met.
Club Brugge Team News
Key midfielder Raphael Onyedika is suspended, having been sent off in Milan a fortnight ago. Ferran Jutglà, who was a key figure in the Brugge side that reached the round of 16 two seasons ago, has struggled for form in this campaign, meaning Romeo Vermant or Michał Skóraś, who's one yellow card away from a ban, could lead the line instead. Right-back Joaquin Seys is sidelined, meaning 19 year old Kyriani Sabbe will deputise, while goalkeeper Simon Mignolet will be a familiar face; he won five of his 12 encounters against Villa during his time with Sunderland and Liverpool.
Club Brugge predicted lineup vs Aston Villa: (4-3-3): Mignolet; Sabbe, Mechele, Ordóñez, De Cuyper; Jashari, Nielsen, Vanaken; Skov Olsen, Tzolis, Vermant.
Club Brugge Player to Watch vs Aston Villa
Captain Hans Vanaken will make his 468th appearance for Brugge, only four men have made more in the club's 133-year history. 51 of these outings have come in the Champions League, including qualifiers, scoring 12 times, hoping to add to this tally.
Aston Villa Team News
With Saturday night's trip to Anfield looming large, will Unai Emery be tempted to rotate? Matt Cash and Morgan Rogers were both taken off with knocks on Sunday, meaning it'll be intersted to see if either are risked. Jhon Durán started, and scored, against Bologna, his only other starts have come in the EFL Cup, so could he be rotated in for Ollie Watkins again? A booking for the Colombian would see him sit out Juventus' visit to Villa Park suspended. Fit again Boubacar Kamara as well as Diego Carlos, Ian Maatsen, Jaden Philogene and Leon Bailey are all options if Emery feels his team needs freshening up. Ross Barkley though is not, as he is injured.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Club Brugge: (4-3-3): Martínez; Konsa, Diego Carlos, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans, McGinn; Bailey, Philogene, Durán.
Aston Villa Player to Watch vs Club Brugge
Jhon Durán has scored eight times this season, on target during all three of his starts, these against Wycombe, Crystal Palace and Bologna, so if he is in from the off in Brugge, will his hot-streak continue?
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Prediction
Villa have become only the third debutants in the Champions League era to win their opening three matches, after Málaga in 2012 and Leicester four years later. Both were held to draws in their fourth fixtures, but both went on to reach the quarter-finals. Whether Villa can replicate the latter remains to be seen, but were are forecasting that they'll eclipse these two aforementioned sides by making it four victories out of four: Club Brugge 1-3 Aston Villa.
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa FAQs - Champions League
How to watch Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Champions League game on TV channel?
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Champions League game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 2
- USA: Paramount+, fuboTV, Univision NOW & TUDN
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Champions League game on live streaming?
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Champions League game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery +
- USA: Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN.com, ViX & UniMás
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Club Brugge vs Aston Villa in the Champions League?
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa takes place on Tuesday 6 November 2024, with kick off at 17:45 (GMT), 12:45 (EDT) & 9:45 (PST).