Yahoo Sports RB Leipzig vs Aston Villa – Match preview and team news
Aston Villa travel to Germany to play RB Leipzig in the Champions League tonight.
Both sides have turned their fortunes around in the past week, after enduring winless runs stretching over seven games.
Aston Villa swept aside Brentford and Southampton while RB Leipzig progressed into the quarter-finals of the DFB Pokal at the expense of Eintracht Frankfurt, before beating Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga.
The injuries have mounted up in the Leipzig squad with as many as seven first-team players expected to miss tonight’s clash.
The notable absentees include midfield maestro Xavi Simons. who last played against Liverpool back in October. Defensive duo Castello Lukeba and David Raum are also likely to miss out.
For Aston Villa, Unai Emery will have to cope without the services of Jacob Ramsey and Leon Bailey. The latter was forced off just shy of the hour mark on the weekend with a hamstring injury.
IT’S MATCHDAY IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 🤩 pic.twitter.com/f4yq8MOyNS
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 10, 2024
RB Leipzig vs Aston Villa – Match preview and team news
Form
RB Leipzig: LLLWW
RB Leipzig are drastically underperforming in the Champions League this campaign and are yet to pick up a single point.
Admittedly, Marco Rose’s team have been given a tough set of fixtures. The schedule has included trips to Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid and home games against Liverpool and Juventus.
They are one of three teams to lose every game so far and are joined by Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys at the foot of the table.
Leipzig are faring slightly better in the Bundelisga and have the second best defensive record in the league. They have shipped only 14 goals in 13 outings, though that statistic is warped by the concession of nine goals in defeats to Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg in successive games.
At the weekend, they breezed past Holsten Kiel with a 2-0 away triumph courtesy of a Benjamin Sesko goal and an Andre Silva penalty.
Aston Villa: DDLWW
The Villans are back on track after a barren run of form throughout November. In the past week, Unai Emery’s side have made Villa Park a fortress again with a 3-1 win over Brentford and a narrow victory over Southampton.
That ended a spell of eight games without a win, which included a poor display away to Club Brugge and a home draw with Juventus in Europe.
After a dream start to their Champions League campaign, Villa’s dropped points mean they now sit just outside the top eight – which secures automatic entry to the Round of 16 – on goal difference.
Last Meeting: N/A
The two sides have never met in a competitive match.
Predicted Lineups
RB Leipzig: Gulacsi; Geertruida, Seiwald, Orban, Henrichs; Baumgartner, Haidara, Vermeeren, Nusa; Sesko, Openda
Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Philogene-Bidace, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins.
Who is the referee?
Italian referee Maurizio Mariani will be the match official. He will be assisted by Alessandro Giallatini and Daniele Bindoni while Matteo Marchetti will be the fourth official. The VAR will be Aleandro Di Paolo and he will be assisted by Daniele Chiffi.
What channel will RB Leipzig vs Aston Villa be on?
RB Leipzig vs Aston Villa will be available to watch on Amazon Prime.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off at the Red Bull Arena will be at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday 10th December 2024.
Odds
RB Leipzig – 31/20
Draw – 12/5
Aston Villa – 13/8
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