Aston Villa vs Club Brugge team news: Lineups named in Champions League

Kick-off is fast approaching for tonight’s hotly-anticipated UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg at Villa Park.

Aston Villa head into tonight’s clash with a 3-1 aggregate advantage following last Tuesday’s victory in Belgium. Unai Emery’s side were perhaps fortunate to win as they were outplayed for much of the game but a flurry at the end proved pivotal.

An own goal from Brandon Mechele and a late Marco Asensio penalty were enough to earn a 3-1 lead following Leon Bailey’s early opener and Maxim De Cuyper’s first-half equaliser. It’s a comfortable advantage but Villa can’t afford to get complacent as anything can happen in this competition — especially against a team as dangerous in possession as Brugge.

The big team news ahead of tonight was Emery announcing the expected returns to the matchday squad for Asensio, Emiliano Martinez and Amadou Onana following injury problems. That hint from Emery has rung true as two of the three are named in the starting lineup.

Villa have opted for five changes from the XI that narrowly beat Brentford 1-0 away from home at the weekend, swapping in Martinez, Matty Cash, Ian Maatsen, Boubacar Kamara and Marcus Rashford for Robin Olsen, Axel Disasi, Lucas Digne, Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey. Brugge, on the other hand, have made X swaps from their XI that beat bitter local rivals Cercle Brugge 3-1 on Sunday.

Aston Villa vs Club Brugge lineups

Without further ado, here’s how both teams shape up in full.

Villa XI: Martinez (GK); Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn, Rashford; Rogers, Watkins.

Villa subs: Olsen (GK), Zych (GK), Disasi, Pau, Bogarde, Digne, Onana, Bailey, Asensio, Ramsey.

Brugge XI: Mignolet (GK); Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Onyedika, Jashari; Talbi, Vanaken, Tzolis; Jutgla.

Brugge subs: Jackers (GK), Romero, Vetlesen, Vermant, Nilsson, Skoras, Nielsen, Siquet, Spileers, Campbell.