Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich

High-flying Bayern Munich head to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa in a handsomely-looking UEFA Champions League fixture.

Aston Villa’s first-ever home outing in the Champions League pits them against a Bayern Munich side they defeated to lift their only European Cup trophy in 1982. The Lions are pre-match outsiders despite comprehensively beating Young Boys 3-0 on the opening matchday but do take the field in high spirits amid a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W5, D1). Villa’s confidence took a knock at the weekend as they dropped a halftime lead in a topsy-turvy 2-2 draw at Ipswich Town. However, Unai Emery’s side won their first six European home outings last term, though it’s worth noting they featured in the Europa Conference League. They make a quantum leap here, hoping to address defensive issues that have seen them concede 2+ goals in five of their last six competitive games at Villa Park (W2, D2, L2).

On the other hand, Vincent Kompany’s imperious start at Bayern Munich suffered a minor setback last weekend as Bayer Leverkusen held his side to a 1-1 draw in a blockbuster Bundesliga fixture at the Allianz Stadium. However, the Bavarians had won all six previous matches under Kompany in all competitions, including a history-making 9-2 rout of Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener. That victory forms part of Bayern Munich’s formidable 41-game unbeaten run in the Champions League group/league phase (W37, D4). Their recent away form at Europe’s top table is nothing less remarkable, with the record-time German champions losing just four of their last 35 Champions League away matches.