Young Boys vs Aston Villa prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-09-16 16:45.
[p]Both Young Boys and Aston Villa will go down in history as amongst the first sides to kick a ball in the inaugural UEFA Champions League (UCL) league phase. The Swiss side have already made their own bit of history this season by securing their first-ever pair of back-to-back UCL proper appearances, and next on their history-making agenda will be to make a maiden springtime UCL appearance. [/p]
[p]If they’re to do just that, they’ll have to improve on some poor European home form of late, with the Swiss side losing four of their last seven European home matches (W3) – as many as in their previous 21 games. Their domestic form offers little hope of levelling out that record here, as after six games of the Swiss Super League season, the reigning champions sit rock-bottom after a winless start (D3, L3), albeit they are seven games unbeaten in all competitions.[/p]
[p]Domestic football has been much kinder to Aston Villa, who after four games of the Premier League season, sit on nine points. A 3-2 win against Everton on Saturday evening, in which Villa fought back from 2-0 down, was the perfect warm-up for this clash, which is a UCL proper debut for the Midlands side – one of five such debutants in the competition this season. [/p]
[p]Getting off to the dream start will require Unai Emery’s side to win away to Swiss opposition for the first time ever (D1, L1), and despite travelling as favourites, some patchy recent European away form highlights some deficiencies for Villa. Emery’s men have won only two of their last 11 European away matches (D3, L6), but with successive 2-1 victories to open their domestic away league campaign, perhaps their fortunes are about to change. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Young Boys’ Darian Maleš scored an 83rd minute winner in the cup at the weekend, but four of his last five European goals have been first-half game openers. It’s sure to be an emotional night for boyhood Villa fan Jacob Ramsey, who looks set to don the famous Claret and Blue in their first-ever UCL outing – three of his last four club goals opened the scoring inside 30 minutes. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: In 12 games, Young Boys have never kept a clean sheet against English opposition (W2, D2, L8). [/p]
[p][i]Written by Chris Wilson[/i][/p]