Aston Villa v Viking: Champions League preview, predicted line-ups and betting tips
Villa have won both league-phase games, scoring nine, and host a Viking side that has conceded nine in four. Team news, line-ups, stats and our prediction.
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Aston Villa v Viking: preview
Aston Villa can take a firm grip on a top-eight finish in the Champions League league phase when they host Viking at Villa Park tonight.
The hosts sit fourth on six points from two games, with a goal difference of plus seven. Another win would leave them well placed to avoid the play-offs.
Viking are the outsiders by a distance. bet365 make Villa 2/9 to win and price the Norwegian side at 11/1.
Aston Villa
VikingHow they got here
Villa opened with a 3-2 win at Club Brugge on 8 September. They followed it with a 6-0 home win over Fenerbahçe on 14 October, their biggest margin of the campaign. That is nine goals scored and two conceded in two games, with an average of 3.19 expected goals per game.
Viking have played four European games this season, winning one, drawing two and losing one. They lost 3-1 at VfB Stuttgart on 9 September. On 13 October they drew 3-3 at home with Bayern München, a result that showed their attacking threat. It also showed their problem at the back: nine goals conceded in four games, with no clean sheet.
Rotation and selection
Villa played on 14 October and have a full week of recovery behind them, so there is no obvious reason to rotate heavily. Their squad is thinner than usual, with six players unavailable. That limits the changes the hosts can make anyway.
Viking made their 3-3 draw with Bayern at home. They have averaged only 37.5 per cent possession in their recent games and have managed just 0.59 expected goals per game, a modest figure given the goals they have scored. Expect them to defend deep and hit on the counter.
Aston VillaViking
Line-ups
Aston Villa4-2-3-1- 1GZ. Suzuki
- 35DJoão Gomes
- 3DV. Lindelöf
- 14DPau Torres
- 5DT. Mings
- 7MJ. McGinn
- 6MR. Barkley
- 47MAlysson Edward
- 10ME. Buendía
- 19MI. Mbaye
- 11FN. Jackson
Viking4-3-3- 1GA. Østbø
- 2DH. Haugen
- 27DJ. Daland
- 6DG. Stensness
- 5DH. Heggheim
- 7MK. Askildsen
- 8MJ. Bell
- 29MT. Moi
- 20FP. Christiansen
- 22FE. Botheim
- 10FZ. Tripić
Where to watch Aston Villa v Viking: TV and online streams
Aston Villa v Viking kicks off at 20:00 BST at Villa Park. The UK broadcaster has not been confirmed for this fixture, and this page will be updated closer to kick-off.
This is a single league-phase game, so there is no extra time or penalty shootout. If it finishes level after 90 minutes, each side takes a point.
Stats for Aston Villa v Viking
- Villa have scored 9 and conceded 2 in two Champions League games, averaging 4.5 goals for and 1.0 against.
- Villa's 6-0 win over Fenerbahçe on 14 October is their biggest margin of the season. They kept one clean sheet in two games.
- Viking have conceded 9 goals in 4 European games (2.3 per game) and have no clean sheets. All four of their games have seen both sides score.
- Viking have scored in every one of their four games. Over 2.5 goals has landed in two of their four, but all four of their games have gone over 1.5.
Match Result: Aston Villa to win
Villa have scored nine goals in two league-phase games and average 3.19 expected goals per game, against a Viking defence that has conceded 9 in four with no clean sheet. The hosts should win comfortably, but Viking's 3-3 draw with Bayern shows they will score. Villa at 2/9 is short, so we back them to win with a goal for Viking along the way.