Aston Villa and Bayern Munich Meet Again in Champions League Clash, Reprising 1982 Final
Aston Villa and Bayern Munich are set to meet for the first time in over 42 years in this season's Champions League, with Bayern visiting Villa Park on Wednesday. Both clubs head into this fixture after impressive opening-day wins, as Villa defeated Young Boys 3-0 and Bayern Munich made Champions League history with a 9-2 demolition of Dinamo Zagreb.
Match Preview
This highly anticipated match revisits the 1982 European Cup final, when Aston Villa triumphed 1-0 over Bayern to win their only continental title. Villa now welcome Bayern to Villa Park for their first home Champions League match since 1983, looking to maintain their strong start after a commanding 3-0 victory over Young Boys in Switzerland. Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey, and Amadou Onana all found the net in their debut Champions League win.
Unai Emery's side has been in fine form domestically, winning six of their last eight matches. They were on course for another win at the weekend but allowed a 2-1 lead to slip in a 2-2 draw with newly promoted Ipswich Town. Villa's resurgence under Emery has been remarkable, and they hope to carry that momentum into the Champions League.
On the other hand, Bayern Munich are coming off an astonishing 9-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb, setting a new Champions League record for most goals in a single match. Harry Kane scored four goals in that contest, continuing his red-hot form. Bayern, six-time European champions, are on a 41-match unbeaten run in the Champions League group stages, making them favorites to extend that streak at Villa Park.
Team News
Aston Villa will be without captain John McGinn (hamstring) and Matty Cash (thigh), but they have attacking depth with Leon Bailey back in action and Jhon Duran providing a scoring threat off the bench. Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara are in full training but not ready to return.
For Bayern, Harry Kane, who has a stellar record at Villa Park, is expected to start despite a recent ankle knock. Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is back in the lineup after overcoming a thigh injury, while Sacha Boey, Josip Stanisic, and Hiroki Ito remain sidelined.
Possible Lineups
Aston Villa: Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Guerreiro, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane
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