It’s been a tough few months for Aston Villa, but tonight they will have the opportunity to get the season going when they face Club Brugge in Belgium in their Champions League opener.
Villa won the Europa League in May, but have since lost many of the key players from the triumph over Freiburg. As many as six players from the starting eleven have left the club, including Emiliano Martínez, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins.
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Manager Unai Emery has brought in replacements, but the new ones have yet to find the tone with each other. Villa are still winless after three league rounds in the Premier League.
Club Brugge have won four out of five games in the Belgian top flight and will no doubt see this as a golden opportunity. The teams met in the Champions League two seasons ago, when Brugge won at home in the group stage, before Villa progressed after victories both home and away in the last eight.
TEAM NEWS – CLUB BRUGGE
Starting XI: Sommer – Sabbe, Han-Beom Lee, Mechele, Seys – Vetlesen, Potts, Vanaken – Forbs, Tresoldi, Virgilli
Substitutes: Jackers, Driessche, Tsawa, Vermant, Mike, Siquet, Coulibaly, Spileers, Audoor, Diakhon, Vasovic, Lemarechal
TEAM NEWS – ASTON VILLA
Starting eleven: Suzuki – Lindelöf, McGinn, Kamara, Buendía – Jackson, Pau, Maatsen – Wan-Bissaka, Gomes, Hemmings
Substitutes: Bizot, Wright, Mings, Barkley, Ruggeri, Garnacho, Abraham, Mbaye, Bogarde, Alysson
How to watch Club Brugge vs Aston Villa
The match kicks off at 17:45 UK time and will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1. You can also stream it via HBO Max.
If you live outside the UK, you can click on the LINK HERE to find out where the match is shown in your region.
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa stats
All three previous meetings between the teams took place in the 2024/25 Champions League. Club Brugge won 1-0 at home in Belgium on matchday 4 – with Hans Vanaken as the only scorer – before Villa struck back with 3-1 away and 3-0 at home in the last eight, with Ian Maatsen scoring in the second leg.
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The win over Villa in 2024 is Club Brugge’s only triumph in their last 19 games against English opponents (draw 3, lose 15). The 0-3 loss at home to Arsenal on matchday 6 last season was the fourth defeat in a row, and the seventh in eight games – in all of which they conceded three goals.
Club Brugge won six of their first seven home games against English teams (one draw), but since the win against Villa in 2024, there has only been one win in the last nine (two draws, six losses).
Aston Villa have won three of their last five games against Belgian teams (one draw and one loss).
