Aston Villa aim to clinch their first-ever berth in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday, welcoming Club Brugge to England in the second leg of their round of 16 tie.
Unai Emery’s side return home with a 3-1 advantage from the first leg last week, continuing their status as the heavy favorites to advance. Reaching the quarterfinals would be a memorable feat for Villa in their first season in Europe’s top club competition since the 1982-1983 season, when they also made the last eight. Should Brugge overcome the two goal deficit, though, they would book their first spot in the last eight since they made a run to the final of the 1977-1978 European Cup final.
Here’s what you need to know before tuning in.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, March 12 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: Villa Park — Birmingham, England
- Watch: Paramount+
- Odds: Aston Villa -160; Draw +330; Club Brugge +410
Don’t miss any of the Champions League. As always, you can catch all of our coverage across Paramount+, CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network all season long.
Storylines
Aston Villa’s first Champions League campaign in four decades has gone very well so far, with the side notching a spot in the top eight and then benefitting from a favorable round of 16 draw. The good vibes do not end there – they have just one loss in their last seven games, a stretch that includes a draw against Premier League leaders Liverpool and a win over top four contenders Chelsea. While Ollie Watkins has remained as reliable as ever with three goals and two assists in that time, but Villa’s winter signings have also kicked off their spells with the club in strong form. Marco Ascensio has five goals during that stretch, while Marcus Rashford has three assists.
Projected lineup
Martinez, Disasi, Konsa, Mings, Digne, McGinn, Tielemans, Bailey, Rogers, Rashford, Watkins
Prediction
Aston Villa enter the second leg with a healthy cushion that should see them through to the next round, even if they rotate through their team or if Emery has other adjustments in mind. Regardless, though, expect the hosts to come out with another win as they look to turn that first leg advantage into a spot in the last eight. Pick: Aston Villa 1, Club Brugge 0
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