Aston Villa are out to continue their excellent recent form.
Aston Villa will look to make it six wins in a row in all competitions when they visit Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.
Unai Emery’s resurgent side are unbeaten in normal time since their 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace on August 31, though they did lose to Brentford on penalties in the EFL Cup in that span.
That run has seen Villa claim Europa League wins over Bologna and Feyenoord, victories claimed without conceding a goal.
Villa are the heavy favourites to make it three wins from three win in Deventer, as they face a Go Ahead Eagles side that clinched qualification for this competition by beating AZ on penalties in the KNVB Cup final last season, a triumph that clinched their first major trophy for 91 years.
Go Ahead Eagles have claimed one win from their first two games in the league phase, but the visit of Premier League opposition and a manager in Unai Emery with an outstanding record in this competition will provide a daunting challenge for the Eredivisie side.
A potential equaliser in the home side’s favour could be the windy conditions that are set to arrive in The Netherlands as a result of Storm Benjamin.
And Go Ahead Eagles boss Martin Boel warned Villa to expect a battle at De Adelaarshorst, which has a capacity of only 10,000.
“Respect comes before and after the game,” Boel said. “The moment you enter the pitch, it is a battle. That is also what we will try to make tomorrow night.
“An English team is coming here, so everyone is looking forward to the game. This is also the league which everyone follows on TV. Every team is a top team.
“I think if you ask most of the players, where do you want to get a transfer too, they will all say to England. It is a big game that we are all looking forward to.”
But with Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia impressing in Sunday’s 2-1 win at Tottenham and Ollie Watkins producing a promising performance off the bench after returning from international duty with an injury, Villa have every reason to relish a chance to take another significant step towards a place in the knockout rounds.
Team News for Go Ahead Eagles v Aston Villa
Tryone Mings (ankle) could return from an ankle injury for Villa, but Youri Tielemans remains on the sideline with a calf issue.
Pim Saathof, Soren Tengstedt and Victor Edvardsen are all out for the hosts.
Expected line-ups for Go Ahead Eagles v Aston Villa
Go Ahead Eagles: De Busser; Deijl, Nauber, Kramer, James; Meulensteen, Linthorst; Suray, Breum, Margaret; Smit
Aston Villa: Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Lindelof, Maatsen; Onana, Kamara; Malen, Buendia, McGinn; Watkins
How to watch Go Ahead Eagles v Aston Villa
Go Ahead Eagles v Aston Villa kicks off at 5:45pm UK time. It will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1. It is available to stream on Discovery Plus and on Sky Go for Sky customers with a TNT package.
The Stats for Go Ahead Eagles v Aston Villa
- Villa are unbeaten in all six of their major European matches against Dutch sides (W5 D1), including this season’s win at Feyenoord.
- Villa have won 11 of their last 15 major European group stage matches (D2 L2).
- Only two sides have faced more shots than Villa (36) and only five sides have attempted fewer shots than Villa (18) in this season’s Europa League.
Prediction
It could be a tricky game for Villa, who might have one eye on Sunday’s clash with Manchester City. The weather might not make for a classic encounter, but the visitors will still be expected to have enough to claim a routine win.
Prediction: Go Ahead Eagles 0-2 Aston Villa
