Key events
Early team news
For Juve, Dusan Vlahović and ex-Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz are out. Villa are missing Amadou Onana, signed as Luiz’s replacement.
Here’s the squads, via Uefa.
Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Barkley, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins
Out: Onana (foot), Ramsey (hamstring)
Doubtful: Kamara (hamstring), Konsa (hip)
Misses next match if booked: Durán, Diego Carlos
Juventus: Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Francisco Conceição, Koopmeiners, Kenan Yıldız; Weah
Out: Adžić (unspecified), Bremer (knee), Cabal (knee), Douglas Luiz (muscular), McKennie (muscular), Milik (knee), Nico González (muscular), Vlahović (muscular)
Doubtful: none
Misses next match if booked: none
It’s about this time that both teams need to think about how many points they need to escape this chess ladder to qualify and/or miss the play-offs.
Unai Emery spoke to reporters in his press conference on Tuesday: “They are very strong defensively, not only with the ball but also without it. They are building a team, trying to keep consistency and dominating matches with the ball.
“It will be a very important three points but even if we don’t win, taking one point is good because in the table we are in the top eight positions. We want to be in the next round and tomorrow if we win maybe we can be a contender to get it.”
Thiago Motta, the Juve coach, approves of the new Champions League format: “I like the new format because we face different teams each games, so the preparation is always different. It’s an extra opportunity to grow and improve, to test our level. We face a team that is strong in counterattacks. We must be focused in our defensive work and not leave spaces for them to attack in midfield.”
First place to start, of course, is this fine piece by Rob Smyth.
The pace of the game was ferocious, but most of the decisive moments involved players who had their bodies in the oven and their brains in the fridge. In the 51st minute, after a flurry of tackles in the inside-right channel, Gordon Cowans calmly danced away from Massimo Bonini and curved the ball out to the left-back, Gibson. He looked, as Villa always did, for the abundant head of Peter Withe at the far post, but the ball did not reach him. Cowans arrived late in the box and planted a joyous flying header past Dino Zoff.
Preamble
Aston Villa seek to relive the golden days of 1982, and also those in more recent memories. Villa have rather run aground. Their last win came over a month ago, on 22 October, in beating Bologna. Villa are riding high in the Champions League still, though that defeat to Club Brugge was punishing enough. Drawing with Crystal Palace stopped the rot of four losses, but now come Juventus, sixth in Serie A, though still unbeaten under Thiago Motta. They’re two points behind in a mega-table, as they attempt to revive the Old Lady. So, while memories will be relived, this game means much in the present day.
Kick-off at 8pm. Join me.
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