Champions League | Round of 16 | 2nd Leg

Mar 12, 2025 at 8pm UK

Villa Park

Aston Villa vs Club Brugge

(Score after first leg : 3-1)

Match preview

With the cloud of a 1-0 league defeat in Bruges earlier in the season still fresh in their minds, Aston Villa raced into an early lead last week when Leon Bailey opened the scoring with a stunning strike.

Maxim De Cuyper soon levelled for the home side and neither side were able to take full control of the game until Brandon Mechele's awkward 82nd-minute own goal, before Brugge winger Christos Tzolis gave Villa a penalty a few minutes later.

Substitute Marco Asensio, who has been in fine form in front of goal, then converted the spot-kick to give the visitors a 3-1 lead going into the return leg in England's second city this week.

Villa are now bidding to become the first team to reach the Champions League quarter-finals in their debut season since Atalanta BC in 2019-20, and the first English club to do so since Leicester City eight years ago.

With Unai Emery having lost just three of his last 19 home games in Europe's premier club competition - in spells at four different clubs, including four so far at Villa - the Basque boss certainly knows how to make home advantage pay.

After a long spell in the doldrums, Emery's men have won their last three games in all competitions to secure a place in the last eight of the Champions League - where they would meet either Liverpool or Paris Saint-Germain - and a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

On Saturday night, Ollie Watkins' winner against his old club saw them climb back up the Premier League table, as a tenacious 1-0 victory at Brentford was only their second win in eight top-flight games.

Unbeaten in 15 home games, the Birmingham club now return to their roots, hosting Belgian opposition in the European Cup for the first time since April 1982. On that occasion, they overcame Brugge's old rivals Anderlecht in the semi-finals to lift the trophy.

European Cup runners-up in 1978, Club Brugge are making a rare foray into the knockout rounds of the Champions League - only their second ever - after surviving the league phase and then upsetting Atalanta in the play-offs.

However, their campaign could be coming to an end after the events of last week at the Jan Breydelstadion, where Nicky Hayen's side were left to rue a number of missed chances as well as a late defensive collapse.

The result leaves them with a mountain to climb: while Villa have progressed from 12 out of 14 previous European encounters after winning the first leg, Brugge have lost the home opener on six previous occasions, going out on each occasion.

Furthermore, the Blauw-Zwart have never won away to English opposition in 14 prior attempts, losing 12 times to date - only Anderlecht (18) and Dynamo Kyiv (15) have played in England more often without tasting success.

Having conceded 41 goals - including one in the 1978 final defeat to Liverpool at Wembley - and scored just nine, there is no doubt that precedent will be against them.

After last Tuesday's defeat, Club Brugge's current squad briefly turned their attention back to the Belgian Pro League, where they are nine points off the pace after a 3-1 win over city rivals Cercle Brugge. Hans Vanaken's opener was followed by a Ferran Jutgla brace as the Belgian champions recorded just their second win in seven away games.

However, the return to winning ways means that Hayen's men have now failed to find the net in just one of their last 37 matches, and having won eight of their last 14 away games in Europe - most notably a 3-1 win over Atalanta in Bergamo - they will still be dreaming of extending their Champions League run this year.

Recent Performance

Aston Villa Champions League form:LDWLWW

Aston Villa form (all competitions):DWLWWW

Club Brugge Champions League form:WDLWWL

Club Brugge form (all competitions):DWLDLW

Team News

Unai Emery's injury list has been whittled down in recent weeks, with only Amadou Onana (thigh) and Ross Barkley (calf) remaining on the sidelines. However, Marco Asensio - fresh from scoring five goals in four games - and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez missed Saturday's trip to London.

Asensio has scored 10 Champions League goals in 50 substitute appearances - more than any other player - and Emery will be keen to have the PSG loanee available on Wednesday.

Fellow countryman Pau Torres has recently returned from an ankle injury and will compete with Tyrone Mings for a place at left-back for Aston Villa, while Axel Disasi's fine display against Brentford could see the Chelsea man retain his place at right-back.

Winter signings Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia are both out of the running, having been left out of Emery's squad for the knockout stages.

Meanwhile, Club Brugge have been without Joaquin Seys for the last two games due to a hamstring injury, while Bjorn Meijer remains sidelined with a similar problem.

Captain Hans Vanaken, the goalscorer against Villa, is in line to make his 50th appearance in the Champions League. The veteran midfielder has played in every Brugge game since the 2016-17 campaign, with only Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez (51) currently playing longer for one club.

He will be partnered by Spanish striker Ferran Jutgla, who scored twice at the weekend and has six goals in his last seven appearances, and teenage winger Chemsdine Talbi, who has scored three goals in his last three European appearances.

Possible starting lineup

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Disasi, Konsa, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Rashford; Watkins

Club Brugge possible starting lineup:

Mignolet; Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Onyedika, Jashari; Talbi, Vanaken, Tzolis; Jutgla