Aston Villa will look to their Champions League form for comfort when they host Fenerbahce at Villa Park on Wednesday. Unai Emery’s side have made a bright start in Europe, but their Premier League campaign has been far less convincing.
European comfort for Villa
Aston Villa, the Europa League winners, will hope their Champions League results can compensate for a difficult domestic start. Kick off against Fenerbahçe is at 8pm BST on Wednesday, October 14 at Villa Park. In the UK, TNT Sports will broadcast the match, and HBO Max will provide streaming. Viewers outside the UK can find regional viewing information through the source’s where to watch link.
Europe has long been a sanctuary for Unai Emery, and Villa need that feeling now. Their league phase campaign began with a 3-2 win at Club Brugge on matchday one. Nicolas Jackson, John McGinn and Emiliano Buendía all scored, and Villa enter this fixture in the top half of the standings.
At home, the story has been different. Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Brentford left Villa with only one win from their first six Premier League games. They are still waiting for a first home league win this season. Yehor Yarmoliuk put Brentford ahead early after a Tyrone Mings mistake. Jackson equalised two minutes later. McGinn’s goal looked like it might be enough before Kristoffer Ajer levelled late on.
“To draw at home is not a good result, and for this we are not happy, we are sad,” Emery said afterwards. He did see signs of progress from the home defeat to Nottingham Forest: “A better match today than against Forest. Keep going forward.”
Fenerbahce in stronger shape
Fenerbahçe arrive in better form. İsmail Kartal’s side opened their Champions League campaign with a 1-1 draw against Roma in Istanbul. They returned from the international break with a 3-0 win at Çaykur Rizespor on Saturday, although Kartal admitted Rize had three or four clear chances of their own.
Their squad is packed with experience. Ederson, Milan Škriniar, Nathan Aké, N’Golo Kanté, Matteo Guendouzi and Marco Asensio are among their big names.
The clubs met only nine months ago. Jadon Sancho’s first half header gave Villa a 1-0 win in Istanbul in the Europa League league phase in January. That result sealed their place in the last 16 on the way to lifting the trophy. Their only other meetings came in the first round of the UEFA Cup in 1977-78.
Villa’s problem at left back
Emery has a serious crisis at left back. Matteo Ruggeri was forced off at half time against Brentford with a hamstring injury. Ian Maatsen is not expected back from his ankle injury until late November, leaving Villa without a fit natural left back.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who replaced Ruggeri on Saturday, is in line to start on the left. “Aaron has played sometimes in that position before,” Emery said. “I will try to keep our structure without our two left-footed full-backs in Maatsen and Ruggeri, using other options to practice and play without changing anything.”
George Hemmings missed the Brentford game with a minor knee problem, but Emery said the teenager will not be out for long. Amadou Onana (cruciate ligament) and Modou Kéba Cissé remain sidelined. Leon Goretzka and Brian Madjo are back in team training.
For Fenerbahçe, Asensio marked his return to the starting XI with a goal against Rize after an injury absence. He is not thought to be fully up to speed yet.
Possible line ups
Aston Villa: Suzuki; Cash, Lindelöf, Torres, Wan-Bissaka; Kamara, Gomes; McGinn, Buendía, Manzambi; Jackson
Fenerbahce: Ederson; Semedo, Škriniar, Aké, Brown; Kanté, Guendouzi; Oğuz Aydın, Asensio, Greenwood; Muriqi
Villa are still struggling to find fluency after a summer of upheaval. Fenerbahçe are packed with experience and have Mason Greenwood, a forward who can hurt them on the counter.
Villa’s European record has given Emery something to lean on, but Fenerbahce’s experience and threat on the break make this a difficult assignment. With domestic pressure still around them, a win at Villa Park would be a valuable response.
