Club Brugge vs Aston Villa

Jan Breydel Stadion forms the backdrop for the first leg of a revenge-poised Champions League last-16 tie between Club Brugge and Aston Villa.

Despite reaching the Champions League knockouts as the lowest qualifying side, Club Brugge punched above their weight to eliminate Atalanta 5-2 on aggregate in the playoff round. As a result, they bid to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time since 1977/78, when they incidentally featured in the grand final. Aston Villa will aim to stop them in their tracks and avenge a 1-0 defeat in November’s encounter. That was Brugge’s rare success against English opposition, marking their only win across their last 16 such matches in European competition (D3, L12). Worryingly, they conceded 42 goals in that run. However, they’ve been phenomenal at the Jan Breydel Stadion, losing just once in their last 17 home matches across all competitions (W13, D3).

On the other hand, Aston Villa will be out to improve their disappointing overall European record against Belgian opposition and claim only their second win in six (D1, L3). Their only triumph against teams from the country came in the semi-finals of this competition in 1981/82 when they went on to lift the trophy. However, Unai Emery’s charges must find a cure for their travel sickness to bolster their chances in this tie after only winning two of their last 12 matches in all competitions (D1, L9) while failing to get on the scoresheet on six occasions. It’s also worth noting that they’ve kept only one clean sheet on the road since their first Champions League away meeting with Young Boys in September (W4, D2, L9).