Today, October 2, Aston Villa will host Bayern Munich in the second round of the UEFA Champions League.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa made a sensational return to the Champions League this season, following their unexpected fourth-place finish in the Premier League last year. This is the club’s first appearance in Europe’s top competition since the 1982/83 season.
Contrary to expectations, Unai Emery’s side has avoided the “second-season syndrome” so far. After six Premier League rounds, Villa sits in fifth place with 13 points (4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss). Their only defeat came at the hands of Arsenal (0:2) in the second round. Since then, Villa secured three straight victories, although they stumbled with a 2:2 draw against Ipswich in their most recent match.
Villa’s Champions League debut was equally impressive, as they stormed to a 3:0 victory over Swiss champions Young Boys away from home.
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich is a perennial contender in the Champions League, and this season is no different despite the arrival of Vincent Kompany as head coach. While the Belgian is relatively inexperienced, Bayern’s performances so far suggest the team is in great shape under his leadership.
In their first five Bundesliga matches, Bayern collected 13 points, with the only blemish being a 1:1 draw against reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern dominated much of that match and were closer to winning. Before that, they crushed Holstein Kiel (6:1) and Werder Bremen (5:0).
In their Champions League opener, Bayern made history by scoring 9 goals in one match, defeating Dinamo Zagreb 9:2, with Harry Kane netting four goals.
Match Facts
- Bayern Munich has scored 21 goals in their last four matches across all competitions.
- Bayern hasn’t lost in the Champions League group stage since 2017.
- Aston Villa has lost 2 of their last 5 home matches.
Head-to-Head
This is only the second match between Aston Villa and Bayern Munich. Their first encounter was in the 1981/82 European Cup final, where Villa triumphed 1:0.