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In 1982 Aston Villa vs. Bayern Munich won the European Cup final 1-0 by the Villans in Rotterdam. 42 years later, the German juggernaut will face the Birmingham team again on Wednesday at Villa Park in the UEFA Champions League. The English team is back at the top of Europe for the first time since 1983 and the Bavarians will see what it means for the club’s fans that Uni Emery and its players have put an end to that long wait.
A 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town last weekend puts Villa in fifth place in the Premier League, with second place within reach. However, the club’s incredible renaissance under Emery continues and six home wins in the UEFA Conference League last year led to a place in the semi-finals as part of a first continental appearance in 13 years. The Spaniard has a reputation as a European expert. Bayern have experienced that twice, losing just three of their 20 UCL group games – one of them against Bayern with Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
Kompany’s men lost their 100% record this weekend with a 1-1 draw against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern are undefeated in 41 group stage matches with 37 wins since September 2017 and 12 quarter-final appearances from 13 appearances in the knockout rounds. A win over Villa Park as part of a route to a top eight finish will be part of Kompany’s plan in this new phase of the competition.
Here are our storylines, how to watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday October 2 | Time: 3:00 PM ET
- Location: Villa Park – Birmingham, England
- Watch: Biggest+
- Chances: villa +333; Sign +320; Bavaria -133
Competition phase so far
Both Villa and Bayern recorded big wins in the opening round of matches, with the Villans scoring three times in Switzerland away at Young Boys, while the Bavarians defeated Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in Munich. Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey and Amadou Onana all scored for Emery’s side, who could now become the first Premier League side to win their two opening games in the UCL since Leicester City in 2016. Kompany’s side started their new season with a record home win – – Die Roten are the only team to score nine goals in one Champions League match. Harry Kane scored four as part of a total of 30 goals from their first seven games.
Team news
Villa: Emery does not need captain John McGinn, Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara for this. Leon Bailey is involved again, while Jhon Duran and Ollie score four goals each. Morgan Rogers scored his first Premier League goal of the season this weekend, creating four chances from open play against Young Boys – the most by an England player on debut since Danny Welbeck in 2009.
Possible Villa XI: Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins.
Bavaria: Michael Olise has scored five goals from his last four Bayern games, while Kane’s recent effort against Werder Bremen was his 41st Bundesliga goal. After limping off late against Leverkusen, he is still expected to start here. Kane was directly involved in seven goals from six games at Villa Park while Manuel Neuer should also start here. However, Sacha Boey, Josip Stanisic and Hiroki Ito are all unavailable.
Possible Bayern XI: Neuer; Guerreiro, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane.
Prediction
This is a good test for Bayern and a draw shouldn’t be ruled out, but don’t be surprised if the Germans find a way past Villa with a solitary goal in the 90 minutes. Choose: Villa 1, Bavaria 2.
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