Aston Villa face Juventus in the Champions League hoping to enjoy another memorable night on the club’s return to Europe despite their recent form.
Unai Emery’s made a flying start to their Champions League campaign with wins over Young Boys, Bologna and a spectacular 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich at Villa Park. In Italian giants Juventus, Villa will be hoping to claim another scalp against a famous European name.
But first Villa must end a six-game winless run in all competitions, which includes the 1-0 defeat at Club Brugge in the Champions League last time out. Emery said Juventus, who are sixth in Serie A under Thiago Motta, were favourites ahead of the game.
“To watch them at Villa Park in a match we have tomorrow is fantastic. And we want to compete,” he said. “Juventus is the favourite, they have more experiences, they are a very good team, they have very good players and they are the favourite to be in the top eight.”
Follow live updates from Aston Villa vs Juventus in the Champions League, below
Aston Villa vs Juventus LIVE: Latest Champions League updates
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Aston Villa face Juventus in Champions League, kick-off 8pm
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Villa have three wins from four and are eyeing last-eight spot
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But Unai Emery’s side are winless in last six in all competitions
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Juventus are two points behind Villa with two wins from four
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Team news: Douglas Luiz ruled out of Villa Park return due to injury
Aston Villa team news
18:47 , Will Castle
Three changes for Aston Villa from the side that drew 2-2 to Crystal Palace last weekend.
Emery welcomes the return of Boubacar Kamara, Matty Cash and Lucas Digne to the starting XI, with Ross Barkley among those dropping to the bench.
John Duran, Villa’s hero against Bayern Munich earlier this season, starts amongst the substitutes.
Starting XI: Martinez, Cash, Carlos, Torres, Digne, McGinn, Tielemans, Kamara, Bailey, Rogers, Watkins.
Subs: Olsen, Gauci, Nedeljkovic, Bogarde, Maatsen, Konsa, Mings, Barkley, Buendia, Philogene, Duran.
Juventus train ahead of Champions League match against Aston Villa
18:45 , Jack Rathborn
Thiago Motta outlines Juventus route to victory over Aston Villa
18:30 , Jack Rathborn
“Continuity of everything we have done so far. We played a good game against Milan,” Thiago Motta said. “Tomorrow we’ll play a team who are very dangerous on the counterattack.
“We have to be solid in defence and not leave space for their trequartistas. We have to be compact and defend well. We have to use the ball well when we have it.”
Aston Villa train ahead of Champions League match against Juventus
18:15 , Jack Rathborn
Unai Emery sends message to Aston Villa fans ahead of Champions League clash with Juventus
17:55 , Jack Rathborn
“We are really happy in the Champions League. We want to enjoy tomorrow with our supporters at Villa Park,” said Emery.
“Enjoy it. We want to enjoy competing and we want to enjoy winning. We are here in the Champions League trying to be consistent.
“Now is the moment we have to enjoy, we have to compete, we have to face tomorrow Juventus, we have to try to face them being competitive.”
Early team news: Juventus
17:34 , Jamie Braidwood
For Juventus, Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal are two long-term absentees, with both having suffered ACL injuries. Ex-Villa midfielder Douglas Costa is likely to miss out due to a muscular problem, while key attacker Dusan Vlahovic sat out the draw with Milan, though the Old Lady harbour hopes that he’ll at least be fit enough to be part of the matchday squad.
Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik also sat out last weekend’s match, while American Weston McKennie is a doubt after coming off at the weekend, with Timothy Weah and Nicolas Fagioli in line to replace him.
Early team news: Aston Villa
17:32 , Jamie Braidwood
Aston Villa were notably missing Amadou Onana and Ezri Konsa after the duo suffered injuries while on international duty, and both remain a doubt for the match in midweek, though Emery hasn’t ruled them out.
However, Boubacar Kamara and Jacob Ramsey, who were injured against Liverpool before the break, both remain as more long-term doubts.
Matty Cash and Lucas Digne could return to the starting 11 after both featuring at the weekend, while Ross Barkley will likely deputise if Onana is absent. Elsewhere, expect Pau Torres to keep his place at centre-back – likely alongside Diego Carlos is Konsa if unfit.
In midfield, Youri Tielemans should feature as one of two holding players, with Ollie Watkins leading the line and Leon Bailey, Morgan Rogers and John McGinn behind him.
When is Aston Villa vs Juventus?
17:31 , Jamie Braidwood
Villa will face Juventus at 8pm GMT on Wednesday, 27 November at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
Where can I watch?
The game will be shown live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage starting at 7pm GMT. Subscribers can also watch via the discovery+ app.
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Good evening
17:30 , Jamie Braidwood
Aston Villa host Juventus this evening in the Champions League, with the hosts looking to provide another famous European night to fans at Villa Park.
Unai Emery’s side started the season brilliantly but have suffered mixed form of late, with one draw and four losses from their last five matches, including a 1-0 loss to Club Brugge last time out in this competition.
However, they still sit eighth in the competitions new league table, with nine points from four games, and have already secured a famous win over Bayern Munich as they look to stay in the automatic qualification places.
And the Villans face a Juventus side that have also experienced mixed results of late, with the Bianconeri currently sixth in Serie A. They are unbeaten domestically, but have slipped to seven draws as new manager Thiago Motta wrestles with a few notable injuries.
