Aston Villa vs Club Brugge Predictions

• Both teams have scored in each of Club Brugge’s last 12 matches
• Aston Villa have lost just one of their last eight games, winning five 
• The Villans won the first leg 3-1, but lost 1-0 to Brugge in the League Phase

Villans can seal quarter-final spot

Aston Villa’s first ever Champions League campaign has been mightily successful already, with Unai Emery guiding his side through the League Phase with relative ease, finishing eighth, and they have made a great start in landing a spot in the final eight. 

The Villans beat Club Brugge 3-1 in the Belgian capital last week, meaning they hold all the aces ahead of Wednesday’s second leg in Birmingham. 

Emery’s side are in fine form, digging deep to beat Brentford 1-0 on Saturday to make it five wins and just one loss in their last eight matches, and it is hard to envisage anything other than a Villa win on their own patch, where they have been strong for a while now. 

Emery’s men should edge exciting encounter 

Villa have lost just two of their 23 home matches this term and are unbeaten in 15 on their own patch. That latter run includes wins over Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea, as well as draws with Liverpool and Juventus, and a home victory can be expected on Wednesday. 

However, Brugge held their own in the first leg and only lost the expected goals 1.4-1.1, with the majority of Villa’s figure being made up by a late penalty. 

The Belgian outfit can take positives from that defeat, as well as the fact they beat the Villans 1-0 during the League Phase and there is reason to believe they can get on the net while losing at Villa Park. 

Both teams have scored in 11 of Brugge’s last 12 matches and, with the same bet clicking in six of Villa’s last eight, it could pay to combine that selection with a home win on Wednesday night. 

In-form Spaniard set to find the net

Club Brugge must chase the tie and that gung-ho approach should help them fire past their hosts, who may be without first-choice goalkeeper Emi Martinez through injury, but it still seems likely that Villa’s stacked attack will overpower their visitors eventually. 

Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers and Leon Bailey were already providing plenty of threat for Emery’s side but the Spaniard did not settle for their output, bringing in Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio in January. 

Those arrivals have both hit the ground running in Birmingham but it is the latter who is in the finer scoring form and is fancied to find the net at Villa Park, assuming he is passed fit – Emery has stated he hopes his compatriot will be available after missing the win at Brentford. 

Asensio has scored five goals in his last four appearances and can help Villa into the quarter-finals by leading them to a 2-1 win over Brugge.