Club Brugge Aims to Overcome Aston Villa Once More in Champions League Clash

Club Brugge are aiming to secure a win over Aston Villa for the second time in this season’s Champions League as the two teams face off again in the last 16. The Belgians are riding high after eliminating Atalanta in the play-offs.

This impressive 5-2 aggregate victory against last season’s Europa League champions marks Club Brugge’s first win in a knockout tie in the modern Champions League era.

The Belgian champions controversially triumphed 2-1 in the first leg at home, with the decisive goal coming from a disputed stoppage-time penalty taken by Swedish forward Gustaf Nilsson.

In the return fixture in Italy, their counter-attacking performance was exceptional, with teenager Chemsdine Talbi netting twice and Ferran Jutgla adding another in a convincing 3-1 victory.

Now, ahead of the first leg on Tuesday, Villa are in their sights, but Club Brugge are not intimidated by the Premier League side, having previously won 1-0 when the teams met in Belgium during the league phase in November.

That match was settled by a penalty from Hans Vanaken, awarded due to an unusual handball by Tyrone Mings.

Since then, Villa have bolstered their squad with the additions of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, making them appear stronger, but coach Nicky Hayen has faith in his players’ capabilities to rise to the challenge.

“We don’t have a specific strategy to neutralise them,” Hayen remarked on Monday when asked if he had a plan in place to counter Villa’s new signings.

“They possess more than just Rashford and Asensio. They have previously achieved great results too. Their added quality has certainly enhanced their squad.”

Club Brugge weren’t expected to advance beyond the 36-team league phase, yet they managed to move forward in 24th place, the last spot available for the knockout phase play-offs.

In addition to Villa, they have triumphed against Austrian champions Sturm Graz and Portuguese champions Sporting, while also managing to draw against Celtic away and Juventus at home.

This success is part of a trend of improved performances on the European stage in recent seasons, which included reaching the last 16 of the Champions League in 2023. Last season, like Villa, they also reached the semi-finals of the Conference League.

With a rich European history, the club has been to the finals of the UEFA Cup in 1976 and the European Cup in 1978, both times finishing as runners-up against Liverpool.

Should they defeat Villa over two legs, they could potentially face Liverpool once more in the quarter-finals, provided the Anfield club overcomes Paris Saint-Germain in their last 16 match-up.

‘Facing Challenges’

Hayen has emerged as an unlikely success story, having been appointed head coach on an interim basis in March last year following the sacking of Norwegian Ronny Deila. He subsequently guided the Blue and Blacks to their fourth Belgian title in five years.

Now at 44 years of age, it was only three years ago that Hayen was managing Haverfordwest, where he led the team to a modest 10th place finish in the 12-team Welsh top division.

“I’m enjoying the moment without looking too far ahead,” Hayen shared before the second leg against Atalanta.

“I’m trying to savour this experience because I’ve faced some tough challenges in my career, and I understand that it’s all relative.”

His side currently sits second in the Belgian Pro League after a 1-1 draw against Gent last weekend, trailing leaders Genk by nine points.

With just two games remaining before the league splits into play-offs and points from the regular season are halved, there is pressure to perform in the domestic league. However, Club Brugge can approach the match against Villa with a sense of enjoyment.

The team will be led by captain Vanaken, an attacking midfielder who recently earned the Golden Shoe award for Belgium’s player of the year.

At 32, Vanaken was praised by Pep Guardiola as “fantastic” following Club Brugge’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in January.

Key goal threats will come from Greek winger Christos Tzolis, formerly of Norwich City, and Nilsson, as Brugge aim to keep the tie competitive ahead of the return leg at Villa Park on March 12.