It’s no overstatement to say that fixtures don’t come much bigger than this. Villa are all set to face Bayern Munich at Villa Park in arguably one of our most anticipated games of the modern era. It will be a serious test of our resolve against a true European giant, and one that has an almost scripted golden thread back to Villa’s triumph in Rotterdam in 1982.
Such matches don’t just come about by chance or mere good fortune. Under Unai Emery, Villa have evolved remarkably. Prior to the Spaniard’s arrival, we were a side that struggled to string together a series of comprehensible passes, let alone fathom the art of consistently winning football matches. Emery has systematically improved every element of Villa’s playing style, managing against all odds to reach the Europa Conference League before achieving the unthinkable in Champions League qualification. All this improvement and progress will be measured and vigorously tested against Bayern Munich.
The players and supporters have earned the right to be back at the top table of European football. For those of us with a few seasons under our belts, it has been a rollercoaster ride with the lows of relegation, countless bad managers, and even worse players testing all of our faith. That’s without mentioning previous owners. However, these experiences make the joy of days like promotion from The Championship at Wembley, retaining our Premier League status the following season and nights facing against Bayern Munich all the more rewarding.
MATCH PREVIEW
Bayern arrive in Birmingham in decent shape. Their early season domestic form has been excellent, and despite only managing a draw against Bayer Leverkusen last weekend, their display was dominant if not decisive. The same game saw Harry Kane limp off injured, but the former Spurs striker completed the visitor’s final training session on Tuesday evening and is expected to feature. Kane remains an enigma, free-scoring in the Bundesliga, but it’s worth pointing out that the German tabloids are questioning whether the England striker goes missing in crunch games. Interesting.
Whilst we had cause to celebrate our comfortable opening matchday victory over Young Boys (0-3), Bayern ran riot in theirs. Bayern absolutely hammered Dynamo Zagreb 9-2, with Kane alone scoring four, making him the all-time top English goalscorer in the competition. Villa should be cautious but also keep their concentration across the 90 minutes. Emery will not want to see unforced errors or lapses of the type that resulted in our lead slipping away to Ipswich Town (2-2) on Sunday.
Villa go into the game with no new injuries. McGinn is perhaps the most obvious miss, with the captain sitting out with a hamstring injury. The clash also comes too soon for long-term absentees Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara. Perhaps the most troublesome area is right back, so it was concerning to learn that Matty Cash won’t feature either. Bayern will certainly have done their homework on Villa’s right flank, which has looked glaringly shaky. Emery has a big decision to make at right-back, with the Carlos/Konsa combination appearing ill-suited to the task at hand. The only other option is throwing in the promising but decidedly inexperienced Bogarde or Nedeljković.
The visitors have been monitoring Kane, who must still be considered to be either carrying the knock or not 100% match fit. It’s certainly something we must have in our thinking. Boey (knee), Ibrahimovic (thigh), Ito (foot) and Stanišić (knee) will not play a part.
KEY FACTS
- Bayern are top of the Bundesliga, are undefeated in 7 games, having won 6.
- Harry Kane has ten goals already this season.
- Bayern are averaging just under four goals a game.
- This is only Villa and Bayerns second meeting.
- Emery masterminded wins over Bayern with both PSG and Villareal.
- The German champions are unbeaten in 41 group stage games, winning 37.
- Bayern have reached the quarter finals in 12 of the last 13 years.
- Villa are unbeaten in six, with a single defeat to Arsenal this term.
- Emery has beaten Vincent Kompany on both occasions he’s faced him.
WHERE TO WATCH
The match at Villa Park is a sell-out, aside from over-priced hospitality, but don’t waste your money on that. If you have secured a ticket, make sure you download it to the official app before you arrive at Villa Park. Season tickets will not work for this fixture and no collections are available!
Watch or stream the game live on TNT Sports 1 or Discovery+ (subscription required).
Kick-off is 8pm [GMT]
IN QUOTES: EMERY
We are coming back to Europe last year, Europe is something very important but very difficult. They are favourites tomorrow but we are at home.
The most important thing is to be consistent in the season and the Premier League is the first objective. Tomorrow we are playing a special, special match for everybody but I am preparing the match the same as I did on Sunday against Ipswich.
We have to accept when we make mistakes, starting with me. Every match I am trying to be humble and identify my mistakes. It’s the same circumstance with a player. I will never punish a player for making a mistake for the next match.
We analyse the tactical areas collectively and then you have to stop the players. He [Harry Kane] knows us and we know him but his capacity and potential will be on the pitch.
PREDICTION
ASTON VILLA 1-0 BAYERN MUNICH
Predicted Goalscorer: Youri Tielemans
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