Aston Villa v Bayern Munich – Preview, Predictions, And Best Bets

Aston Villa host Bayern Munich on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League. Unai Emery’s side won 3-0 at Young Boys on matchday one, while Die Roten demolished Dinamo Zagreb 9-2, with Harry Kane scoring four goals. Bayern were famously beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa in the 1982 European Cup final.

Aston Villa Form

Villa have had a strong start to the season, with just one loss in eight matches across all competitions. However, they have managed to keep only one clean sheet. Their sole defeat came in round two, a 2-0 home loss to Arsenal. A 2-1 win at Leicester and a 3-2 home victory over Everton were followed by a commanding 3-0 win against Young Boys in Switzerland to kick off their Champions League campaign.

A 3-1 home win over Wolves saw the match level at 1-1 after 87 minutes before two late goals secured the win. Villa then secured a 2-1 victory at Wolves in the Carabao Cup, but they dropped points on Sunday, drawing 2-2 at Ipswich after leading 2-1, despite being outshot 15-7 by their opponents.

Aston Villa Team News

Emery is still without long-term absentees Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara. Matty Cash is doubtful at right-back, so either Ezri Konsa may deputize, or a youngster like Lamare Bogarde or Kosta Nedeljkovic could start.

John McGinn is injured in midfield, with Jacob Ramsey expected to take his place on the left. There is a small chance that Emery could opt for a more defensive option, such as Ian Maatsen, or switch to a back five.

Aston Villa Motivation

Two years ago, Emery’s Villarreal knocked Bayern out of the Champions League by playing very defensively. Villa will likely need to adopt a similar approach to avoid conceding several goals.

A loss wouldn’t be catastrophic after their win on matchday one, and a draw would be a fantastic result for them.

Bayern Form

Vincent Kompany has had a significant impact at Bayern Munich. After two routine wins to start the season, Bayern went on a scoring spree. A 6-1 victory at newly promoted Holstein Kiel was followed by a 9-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb, with Harry Kane netting seven goals across those two matches.

A dominant 5-0 win at Werder Bremen saw Bayern create 3.02 xG and not concede a single shot. On Saturday, Bayern drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen, despite having 69% possession and outshooting their opponents 18-3.

Bayern Team News

Manuel Neuer is available again after injury, but defenders Josip Stanišić, Sacha Boey, and €30 million summer signing Hiroki Ito are all sidelined.

Eric Dier and Joao Palhinha are likely to settle for places on the bench upon their return to England. Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry are expected to start once again.

Bayern Motivation

Bayern will be looking to attack and secure the win at Villa Park. Six points from two group matches would be a major step towards qualifying for the last 16.

Kompany’s side will dominate possession, but they’ll need to be wary of Villa’s dangerous counter-attacks.

Key Stats

Aston Villa have lost just 1 of their last 8 matches (6 wins)

Aston Villa have conceded 19 goals in their last 10 matches

Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins has scored 4 goals in his last 4 matches

Bayern are winless in 3 away matches in the Champions League (LDL)

Bayern Munich have won 6 of their 7 matches this season, scoring 30 goals

Bayern’s Harry Kane has scored 9 goals in his last 5 matches

Verdict

The stats suggest there will be goals in this match. Both Watkins and Kane are strong bets to score, but Bayern should have too much firepower for Aston Villa.

Best Bet: Bayern Munich to win at 1.71
Value Bet: Bayern Munich to win and Over 2.5 goals at 2.25
Goalscorer Tip: Kane and Watkins to both score anytime at 6.00

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis