Club Brugge vs Aston Villa predictions: Emery's men to claim vital away win
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- Aston Villa finished eighth in League Phase
- Club Brugge came 24th
- Recommended bet: Aston Villa to win
Aston Villa resume their Champions League campaign with a trip to Club Brugge in the last 16.
Villa have impressed in Europe's top club competition this season, finishing eighth in the League Phase to go straight through to the round of 16.
Their reward is a two-legged clash with Belgian champions Club Brugge, who overcame Atalanta 5-2 on aggregate in the play-off round after finishing 24th in the table.
The two teams met in the first stage, when an awful error from Tyrone Mings gifted Club Brugge a 1-0 win, the Villa defender picking the ball up in the penalty area after not realising a goal-kick has been taken to give the hosts a spot-kick, from which Hans Vanaken scored.
Team news
Raphael Onyedika and Bjorn Meier are both set to be ruled out for the hosts as they continue to receive treatment for injuries.
Boubacar Kamara is closing in on a return for Villa but Tyrone Mings, Matty Cash, Pau Torres, Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley are all still on the sidelines.
Andres Garcia and Donyell Malen are ineligible for Unai Emery's side.
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The stats
Villa won five of their eight games in the first stage, beating Young Boys, Bayern Munich, Bologna, RB Leipzig and Celtic. They lost to Club Brugge and Monaco and drew with Juventus.
Brugge beat Sturm Graz, Villa and Sporting Lisbon in the League Phase, they drew with Juventus and Celtic and lost to Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan.
The Belgian side have won three of their five home games in the Champions League this season.
Villa have slipped to three successive defeats in their last three away games in all competitions.
The winners of this tie will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Liverpool in the quarter-finals.
Prediction
Villa lost just two games in the league phase came and even though one of those came at the hands of Club Brugge away, the Premier League side can make amends for that defeat and earn a positive result in this last-16 first leg.
While their recent away form is a concern – Villa have lost their last three on the road and have only won one of their last seven away games in all competitions – they should be much more solid in arguably their biggest away match of the season so far.
Club Brugge did impress when getting the better of Serie A side Atalanta in the play-off round, winning 5-2 on aggregate, but they only just sneaked into the top 24 in the league phase on goal difference and their involvement in the competition looks likely to end at the last-16 stage.
Emery's side have had some memorable nights in the Champions League this season already as Villa have enjoyed competing in Europe's top competition again for the first time since 1983 and they could be set for another on Tuesday.
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