Club Brugge is up against a formidable challenge and will need to deliver an outstanding performance to defeat Aston Villa by a sufficient margin. To qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals, Club Brugge must win by at least three goals. This is no easy feat, especially against a seasoned and high-quality English side. Read all about it in this article.
Aston Villa – Club Brugge
The teams have already met twice in this Champions League campaign. The first encounter, a League Phase match, ended in favor of Club Brugge. Hans Vanaken was handed the perfect opportunity on a silver platter when an Aston Villa defender clumsily gave away a penalty. For the rest of the match, Club managed to prevent The Villans from scoring another goal.
The most recent clash was the first leg of this knockout stage. Despite a strong performance, Blauw-Zwart suffered a 1-3 home defeat. Maxim De Cuyper managed to equalize after Leon Bailey’s opening goal, but an unfortunate own goal from Brandon Mechele and a subsequent penalty saw Club fall short. As a result, Club Brugge now needs to pull off a near-miracle in Birmingham to advance to the next round.
This match will be played at Villa Park, Aston Villa’s home stadium. The English club has the luxury of starting the game with an advantage, but there is still some concern about Club Brugge’s efficiency in front of goal. Although they lacked it in the first leg, they have demonstrated their attacking prowess multiple times this season. The winner of this tie will face Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, after PSG narrowly defeated Liverpool in a dramatic match that went to extra time and penalties.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club was founded in 1874 in the English city of Birmingham, with Villa Park as its home stadium. The club spent several years in the English second division until 2020 but has since consistently finished high in the Premier League standings. Last season, they even secured a fourth-place finish. In total, Aston Villa has won seven league titles and even lifted the European Cup (now the Champions League) once, in 1982.
This year, they are performing relatively well in the Premier League, currently sitting in eighth place. However, their form has been inconsistent: after drawing with Liverpool and beating Chelsea, they suffered a heavy defeat against Crystal Palace and managed only a narrow 0-1 win against Brentford.
One thing is certain, though: Aston Villa boasts a squad full of talent. Midfielder Morgan Rogers and striker Jhon Durán have each scored 12 goals this season, while the only player with a better record is fellow forward Ollie Watkins, with 14 goals. The squad also features two Belgian players: Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana. Onana has just returned from injury, so it remains uncertain whether he will feature in the upcoming match.
Club Brugge
This West Flemish club was founded on November 13, 1891, and holds registration number 3. Since 1959, it has played continuously in the Jupiler Pro League, Belgium’s top football division. Of the two Bruges-based teams, Cercle Brugge and Club Brugge, the latter is the most successful and popular. The club has won the Belgian league title 18 times, second only to RSC Anderlecht. No other Belgian club has won more domestic cups and super cups than Club Brugge. Furthermore, Club Brugge remains the only Belgian team ever to reach the final of the European Cup (now the Champions League).
However, whether they can achieve such a feat again is another question. Although Brugge is enjoying a strong season, currently sitting in second place in the Jupiler Pro League and performing well in the Champions League, their impressive run now seems to be in jeopardy. As mentioned earlier, they lost to The Villans at home, but head coach Nicky Hayen remains optimistic.
He certainly won’t be sending a B-team to Birmingham. Club Brugge will start the match with key players such as Hans Vanaken, Simon Mignolet, and Brandon Mechele. The squad also has additional talent, including Ardon Jashari, Ferran Jutglà, and prolific goalscorer Christos Tzolis.
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