Football News

Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich predicted line-ups and team news

By Squawka News

Published: 8:00, 2 October 2024

Aston Villa and Bayern Munich are both looking to build on winning starts to the Champions League group stage campaign as they prepare to meet in Matchday Two at Villa Park.

The showdown, a repeat of the 1982 European Cup final which Villa won 1-0, will kick off at 8pm (BST), and will be screened live in the UK on TNT Sports 1 and Ultimate.

Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich predicted lineups

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Bogarde, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins.

Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Guerreiro, Upamecano, Min-Jae, Davies; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane.

Big-scoring Bayern looking for Villa Euro revenge

Former European Cup winners Aston Villa host their first-ever Champions League tie and it could hardly be a more daunting challenge.

Mighty Bayern Munich, six-time European champions, current Bundesliga leaders and a team who battered Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in their opening game a fortnight ago, represent a formidable obstacle for Villa to overcome.

The English side will take heart from the fact that they have beaten Bayern in a final – but that was 42 years ago, a 1-0 win to lift the old European Cup in Rotterdam.

But, like Bayern, they are also in good form. Unai Emery’s men had won five matches in a row – including a 3-0 Champions League success at Young Boys – before dropping points in a 2-2 draw at Ipswich on Sunday.

Emery, as a four-time Europa League winner as a coach and someone who has enjoyed and endured many Champions League nights, will know exactly what is required from his team against world-class opposition.

And he’ll know that Bayern are flying under new head coach Vincent Kompany as the German powerhouses seek to hit back from last season’s catalogue of flops. This time round, they kicked off the campaign with six straight league and cup wins before being held 1-1 at champions Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.

They have scored 30 goals in those six matches, with injury doubt Harry Kane having bagged ten. Villa’s top scorers are Jhon Duran with five goals and Ollie Watkins with four.

Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich team news

Emery will deploy his customary 4-2-3-1 set-up against Bayern Munich, but with a few key figures missing.

The biggest absentee will be skipper John McGinn with a hamstring injury, meaning the front four virtually picks itself.

Emery’s headaches are further back. Tyrone Mings and Matty Cash are back in training but not available.

Diego Carlos partnered Pau Torres at the back against Ipswich and had a poor game, which could persuade Emery to restore Ezri Konsa to central defence and recall Lamar Bogarde at right-back.

Bayern will match up in a 4-2-3-1 shape with the biggest question mark in attack after Kane limped out of Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Leverkusen with an ankle issue.

Thomas Muller stands by, though, Kane has trained and is expected to start ahead of an attacking midfield trio of Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala.

Right-back Sacha Boey is still injured, so Raphael Guerreiro can keep his place.

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