UEFA Champions League Preview: Aston Villa vs Juventus: Team News, Line-ups & Prediction

Juventus return to European football after laboring to a tepid 0-0 draw against bitter rivals Milan on Saturday. Thiago Motta’s men head to Villa Park to encounter UEFA Champions League debutants Aston Villa on Wednesday night.

Despite lifting the European Cup trophy in 1981/82, Aston Villa had long been out of Europe’s top table. Last season’s impressive fourth-place finish in the Premier League ensured the Lions would return to the grandest continental stage for the first time in the 21st century.

Aston Villa came back with a bang. Unai Emery’s charges won their opening three matches in the newly formatted league phase. They were on the brink of history, only for Club Brugge’s narrow 1-0 triumph in Belgium to deny their hopes of becoming the first Champions League debutants to kick things off with four consecutive victories.

Like their hosts, Juventus enjoyed a phenomenal European start. In addition to a routine 3-1 home win against PSV Eindhoven on matchday one, they overhauled a halftime deficit to beat RB Leipzig 3-2 with ten men in the following round. However, the wheels have since fallen off.

Juventus slumped to a well-deserved 1-0 home defeat to Stuttgart on matchday three before Dusan Vlahovic’s second-half penalty helped them rescue a point in a 1-1 draw at Lille last time out. Vlahovic was unavailable for selection against Milan due to a minor muscular problem. But he’ll be on the plane to England.

Match Preview

Aston Villa

Despite that disheartening defeat on Belgian soil, Emery’s charges have shown they’re no idle threat on their Champions League return. Indeed, Aston Villa defied the odds to topple Bayern Munich 1-0 at this venue in round two before beating Juventus’ fellow Serie A rivals Bologna 2-0.

Those victories form part of Villa’s formidable run of seven wins from their last eight home outings across major European competitions. Further confidence comes from Villa’s equally impressive three-game winning home streak against Italian opposition, with all three triumphs yielding a clean sheet.

Villa’s continental heroics are a far cry from the ongoing crisis in Birmingham. Emery’s side had to fight back twice to hold Crystal Palace to a dramatic 2-2 home draw on Saturday, extending their winless run in all competitions to six games (W2, D4). The Spanish manager, who defeated Juventus with two other clubs, will aim to end the downfall here.

Juventus

Juventus will be eager to stop Emery from becoming the first manager in Champions League history to beat them with three different clubs. With two points separating the sides ahead of the kick-off, achieving that feat while picking up an all-important win in the process would see the Bianconeri consolidate their pursuit of automatic knockout qualification.

However, that’s easier said than done. Despite being the last team to score at Villa Park – doing so in a 2-1 win in 1983 – Juventus have historically struggled on English soil. In fact, they have only won three of their last 15 away matches against Premier League clubs in major European competitions (D3, L9).

Though it’s been three years since Juventus last played on these shores, their recent continental form outside the Allianz Stadium cannot inspire much confidence. Motta’s men have emerged victorious from just one of their last seven away games in the Champions League (D2, L4), courtesy of the abovementioned triumph at Leipzig.

Team News

Aston Villa will take the field without several prominent first-team members, including Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara, Jacob Ramsey, and Ezri Konsa. Ian Maatsen and Pau Torres picked up knocks against Crystal Palace but should be ready to feature on Wednesday.

On the other hand, Juventus will make this journey without Juan Cabal and Gleison Bremer. There are still question marks over ex-Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz and Argentine forward Nicolas Gonzalez. More importantly, Vlahovic is back in the squad.

The Serbia international has had his hand in five goals across six away appearances for Juventus in the Champions League.

Aston Villa vs Juventus Potential Starting Line-ups

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Maatsen, Torres, Diego Carlos, Bogarde; Tielemans, McGinn; Bailey, Rogers, Philogene; Watkins.

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Cambiaso, Kalulu, Gatti, Savona; Locatelli, McKennie; Yildiz, Koopmeiners, Conceicao; Vlahovic.

Aston Villa vs Juventus Prediction

Given the high stakes, this could be another cagey contest for Juventus following a snoozefest at Stadio San Siro. However, Motta’s men thrive in such circumstances, and we back them to take home a narrow victory and leapfrog Aston Villa in the standings.

Prediction: Juventus to Win

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