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Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Preview & Tips - Honours even in Champions League first-leg clash

By Ben Darvill

01 Mar 2025

Ben Darvill 01 Mar 2025

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Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Champions League Preview & Tips
Aston Villa eased past Celtic in a 4-2 win in their last European match
Preview, stats & head to head

Emi Martinez of Aston Villa (Getty Images)

Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Preview & Tips

Club Brugge battled to a 5-2 aggregate win over Atalanta in their Champions League play-off clash as they secured their place in the quarter-finals in style.

Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Preview & Tips
Head To Head
Club Brugge Form
Aston Villa Form

Aston Villa beat Celtic 4-2 in their last European game to ensure they secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals as one of the top-eight group sides.

Club Brugge were held to a 1-1 draw by Gent in their last outing
The home side have seen both teams score in their last five in all competitions
Villa have seen both teams score in two of their last three in Europe

Head To Head

The pair have only met once before, with Club Brugge securing a tight 1-0 win back in November.

Club Brugge Form

Club Brugge impressed in the group-stage of the Champions League as they made it through to the knockout phase despite the playoff spots being hotly contested.

Finishing in 24th meant they had a date with ninth-placed Atalanta, and they made a dream start, securing a 2-1 win over their opponents at home. In a real test of their credentials, Club Brugge stormed into a 3-0 lead in the second-leg as they secured a 3-1 win to go through 5-2 on aggregate.

Club Brugge have already beaten Villa in the Champions League group-stage, and few will need reminding of their abilities after they beat the reigning Europa League champions in the last round. I expect Club Brugge to get on the scoresheet, but I predict that they will not come away with the win as they are held by their opponents.

Aston Villa Form

Aston Villa squeezed into the top-eight of the Champions League group-stage with 16 points, meaning they finished above the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG and Manchester City.

Villa's European adventure has seen them struggle to keep clean sheets of late. Indeed, three wins to nil in their opening three have been followed by one clean sheet in their subsequent five, with a 0-0 draw against Juventus in November a decent result.

Heading into this one, Villa will know the value of ensuring they do not come back to Villa Park having lost. A home tie in the second-leg is a big advantage, and I am backing the Premier League side to come home with the scores level.