Aston Villa take on Club Brugge at the Jan Breydelstadion in the last-16 of the Champions League on Tuesday evening following an impressive campaign so far. However, they are struggling with injuries, with both sides having mixed form last month.
PREDICTIONS FOR CLUB BRUGGE VS ASTON VILLA
FINAL RESULT – WHO WILL PREVAIL?
Aston Villa Win
Villa have been the surprise package in the Champions League this season, winning five of their eight group games and dismissing Celtic in emphatic fashion to qualify as a top-eight side.
Draw
Villa go into this game in mixed form in the Premier League, having won one, lost one and drawn two of their last four matches. Injuries have been a key problem of late and this could hamper their chance of a win.
Club Brugge Win
Despite their erratic recent form, Club Brugge sit second in the Belgian First Division and have scored a league-leading 58 goals this season. They are particularly strong on their own patch – their defeat to Standard Liege on 23 February being their first in 17 home matches. They also beat Aston Villa 1-0 in the league phase of the Champions League back in November.
TOTAL GOALS OVER/UNDER
Over 2.5 Goals
Aston Villa’s last three Premier League games all contained more than 2.5 goals, while four of Club Brugge’s last five all had more than 2.5 goals too. Villa’s last game in the Champions League was a 4-2 demolition of Celtic on 29 January while Club Brugge defeated Atalanta 5-2 over two legs (2-1 at home and 3-1 away).
Under 2.5 Goals
Despite all this, both team’s last fixtures contained under 2.5 goals. Aston Villa beat Cardiff City 2-0 in the FA Cup on Friday, while Club Brugge drew 1-1 with league leaders Genk on Saturday, a last-minute goal seeing them throw away three points in the race for the Belgian title.
BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
Yes
Both teams scored in five of Aston Villa’s seven games in February including their 2-2 draw against Liverpool and 2-1 win over Tottenham. With 45 goals conceded, Villa also have one of the poorest defences in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Club Brugge have only failed to net in one of their last 35 fixtures.
No
Cardiff failed to score against Villa on Friday, while their defence in the Champions League group stage was surprisingly robust, having conceded just six goals. Conversely, Club Brugge only scored seven goals in the group stage of the Champions League.
ANYTIME GOALSCORERS
Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Rogers scored a hat-trick against Celtic last time out in the Champions League and has seven goals in the Premier League this season too. His partnership with Ollie Watkins, who is Villa’s top scorer in the Premier League with 12 this campaign, could be vital.
Chemsdine Talbi (Club Brugge)
Talbi scored a brace in Club Brugge’s 3-1 second leg win against Atalanta in the last round of the Champions League so the wind is in his sails. With five goals in the Belgian league this season too, he could hit the back of the net here.
BETTING TIPS – TOP PICKS!
Draw
Over 2.5 goals
MY VERDICT
Injuries have not been kind to Aston Villa of late and both teams enter this match following mixed results in February. On paper, Villa should be too strong, but a score draw wouldn’t surprise.
