Young Boys vs Aston Villa - Champions League: TV channel, prediction, team news and lineups

The last time Aston Villa competed in UEFA's premier club competition, they were the holders back in 1982/83, the defence of their title ended by Juventus in the quarter-finals. Over four decades on, the Claret and Blue Army are back at Europe's top table, so will they make a winning start in Bern?

Young Boys vs Aston Villa Preview

Aston Villa supporters have been waiting for generations to see their side back in the Champions League so, with glamour ties against Bayern Munich, Juventus and others to come, it's vitally important that they leave Stadion Wankdorf with all three points.

Well, Unai Emery's team will travel to Switzerland full of confidence, following Saturday's 3-2 victory over Everton, in which they fought back from 2-0 down; Ollie Watkins' brace restoring parity, before Jhon Durán's piledriver snatched victory. That makes it three wins out of four this season, for a Villa side who've proved they're likely to be competitive once again. Now, having reached last season's Europa Conference League semi-finals, can they claim wins at Champions League level?

Meanwhile, how tough a test are BSC Young Boys likely to pose? Well, this'll be their fourth appearance in the Champions League proper, debuting in 2018, qualifying in back-to-back seasons for the very first time. Last month, Patrick Rahmen's side ousted Galatasaray in the play-off round, narrowly prevailing in a five-goal thriller at home, thanks to Filip Ugrinić's late penalty, before Alan Virginius' last-gasp goal on the counter attack in İstanbul secured an upset 4-2 aggregate victory.

The Swiss champions have now lost only nine of their last 32 European home games and, due to the expanded format, believe they can reach the knockout stages of this competition for the very first time. This tie in Bern will be played on an artificial surface, potentially giving the home side an added advantage, so don't expect this to be a complete walkover in favour of the Premier League outfit.

Young Boys vs Aston Villa Head-to-Head Record

These two clubs have never previously met.

Young Boys Form Guide: WDWWW

• Vevey-Sports 2-4 BSC Young Boys: Coupe de Suisse

• BSC Young Boys 1-1 Lausanne-Sport: Swiss Super League

• Galatasaray 0-1 BSC Young Boys: Champions League play-offs

• BSC Young Boys 3-2 Galatasaray: Champions League play-offs

• Printse-Nendaz 0-10 BSC Young Boys: Coupe de Suisse

Young Boys Form Guide: WWLW

• Aston Villa 3-2 Everton: Premier League

• Leicester City 1-2 Aston Villa: Premier League

• Aston Villa 0-2 Arsenal: Premier League

• West Ham United 1-2 Aston Villa: Premier League

Young Boys Team News

Patric Pfeiffer, Łukasz Łakomy, Facinet Conte and former Manchester United right-back Saidy Janko are all long-term absentees. Patrick Rahmen rotated his team for the weekend cup win at third-tier Vevey-Sports, with Meschack Elia amongst those set to return to the XI. Goalkeeper David von Ballmoos sustained an injury in that first leg, but is back now so will be donning the gloves.

Young Boys predicted lineup vs Aston Villa: (4-4-2): von Ballmoos; Blum, Zoukrou, Camara, Hadjam; Lauper, Niasse, Monteiro, Colley; Ugrinić, Elia.

Young Boys Player to Watch vs Aston Villa

Joël Monteiro could be Young Boys' danger man, having bagged a brace during the win over Galatasaray last month, to add to the 12 Swiss Super League goals he netted last season.

Aston Villa Team News

Villa travel without Matty Cash, Tyone Mings and Boubacar Kamara due to long-term injuries, while Leon Bailey is also a doubt. In Cash's absence, Lamare Bogarde has been deputising at right-back, with Kosta Nedeljković the alternative option. Ollie Watkins bagged a brace at the weekend, so is likely to keep his place up front, hoping to mark his Champions League debut with a goal, having found the net eight times in the Europa Conference League last season.

Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Young Boys: (4-3-3): Martínez; Bogarde, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans, McGinn; Ramsey, Rogers, Watkins.

Aston Villa Players to Watch vs Young Boys

Uniquely, Villa's player to watch is unlikely to start, but it has to be Jhon Durán, considering he's scored the winner in all three of their victories this season, doing so at West Ham and Leicester and then against Everton on Saturday. Set to remain in the role of super-sub, will the Colombian's scoring spree from the bench continue?

Young Boys vs Aston Villa Prediction

As alluded to, we're forecasting a tough early-evening's work for Aston Villa, but were are backing them to leave Bern with all three points. Unai Emery's team have been impressive this season while, on the flip side, irrespective of the mitigating factors, the fact Young Boys haven't won any of their five league games has to be a concern: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa.

Young Boys vs Aston Villa FAQs - Champions League

How to watch Young Boys vs Aston Villa Champions League game on TV channel?

Young Boys vs Aston Villa Champions League game will be available on the following TV channels;

• UK: TNT Sports 1

• USA: CBS Sports Golazo

• Canada: DAZN Canada

How to watch Young Boys vs Aston Villa Champions League game on live streaming?

Young Boys vs Aston Villa Champions League game will be available on the following streaming services;

• UK: Discovery +

• USA: Paramount+

• Canada: DAZN Canada

What is the date and kick-off time for Young Boys vs Aston Villa in the Champions League?

Young Boys vs Aston Villa takes place on Tuesday 17 September 2024, with kick off at 17:45 (BST), 12:45 (ET) & 9:45 (PDT).

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