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Super-subs Jhon Duran and Ross Barkley put Aston Villa in Champions League dreamland

kieran crichard
·29 min read
Ross Barkley came off the bench before scoring a late winner for Aston Villa
Ross Barkley came off the bench before scoring a late winner for Aston Villa - Getty Images

Aston Villa’s Champions League adventure is proving a roller-coaster ride of unpredictability and the knockout stages are now firmly in their sights.

This was a night of mayhem, riddled with individual brilliance, needless mistakes and shrewd substitutions which ensured Unai Emery’s name was being chanted long into the night.

Jhon Durán and Ross Barkley were the two match-savers, introduced from the bench and swinging the momentum of this contest back in Villa’s favour, just when it appeared that the indecision of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez would inflict some damage on their European campaign.

Martínez was arguably at fault for both of RB Leipzig’s goals but Durán and Barkley made impressive cameo appearances to help hoist Villa up to third in the table. Durán, the king of chaos, replaced Ollie Watkins and put Villa ahead early in the second half with another stupendous strike from distance. Barkley, a £5 million summer signing from Luton Town, had been on the field for only two minutes before delivering the crucial winner in the 85th minute.

“That’s the role of the lads on the bench — to try and make a difference,” said Barkley. “Jhon Durán made a difference and I am happy to score the winner. They all count. As you have seen he [Durán] comes off the bench and causes chaos and scores goals. We have got two top strikers fighting to start.”

Emery’s target of avoiding the round of 32 in February is on course, with two group games remaining against Monaco and Celtic next month. Villa have now beaten two German teams in the competition and while this was far from the stirring victory over Bayern Munich, it could prove significant.

With co-owner Nassef Sawiris here at the Red Bull Arena, Villa are relishing every moment in their return to the competition for the first time since 1983.

Emery said: “It was very important to keep consistent in the Champions League and try to make another step forward with our circumstances to be contenders in the top eight.

“We have two more matches and we will be motivated, our target now is higher than it was when we started this competition. We now have 13 points and are more or less recovering our confidence. The substitutions were of course very important. Duránand Barkley both scored and continued the work that we were doing.”

Emery had urged Villa to “break their limit” ahead of the game and they were ahead after just 153 seconds. Matt Cash’s cross was headed back into the centre of the penalty area and John McGinn was presented with an easy finish from eight yards.

It was the perfect start for Villa and their third fastest ever goal in a major European competition behind Peter Withe’s two second-minute goals against Vitoria Guimaraes and Spartak Moscow in 1983.

Villa were dominant in those early stages, frequently cutting the Leipzig defence apart as they attacked with pace down the flanks. Yet out of nowhere Leipzig equalised in the 27th minute, and it was not a moment Martínez, or the Villa defence, will want to watch again.

Nicolas Seiwald’s long and hopeful punt upfield completely eluded booth Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos, with Martínez hesitating as he advanced towards the edge of the area to allow Lois Openda to sneak in front of the Argentine and place the ball into the unguarded net. The goal was the consequence of yet another needless mistake in Europe, coming just two games after that amazing incident in Bruges when Tyrone Mings picked up the ball in his own penalty area.

Then, enter Jhon Jader Durán Palacios.

Before this match Emery had discussed the prospect of playing forwards Watkins and Duran together, but that experiment remains a work in progress.

Watkins was clearly holding his thigh at the end of the first half, but Durán is presenting Emery with a highly convincing case to start more games. The Colombian international does not appreciate his reputation as a ‘super-sub’ but always seems to tip tight matches in Villa’s favour.

So it proved, with Durán immediately involved and taking just six minutes to put his team ahead with another brilliant individual effort for his growing collection of worldies. Taking the ball just inside the Leipzig half he advanced towards goal and arced a shot over Peter Gulacsi from 30 yards.

Durán thought he had scored again in the 58th minute after converting Cash’s low cross but the right-back was found to have been marginally offside after a VAR review.

Villa appeared in the ascendancy but, once again, Leipzig levelled against the run of play on 62 minutes. Openda broke clear of the defence and then floated over an inviting cross towards the back post, with Christoph Baumgartner volleying the ball over an unconvincing Martínez.

Both teams had chances to score a winner, but it was Barkley who settled an entertaining contest with the crucial strike from 20 yards which took a wicked deflection off Lukas Klostermann to wrong-foot Gulacsi.

The magic touch of Emery pays off again.

10:30 PM GMT

The thoughts of Marco Rose

“It is not out year in the Champions League. We have no chance of progression but we try our best to get anything out of those last two games. We are disappointed and hard to accept but we played against a good team tonight. We did not have enough substance or power. Lois Openda had a big chance at 2-2. We were in the game the whole team which is why it is disappointing. This campaign has not run our way. Our job is to qualify for the Champions League next season.”

10:27 PM GMT

Victory on the road for Aston Villa

10:25 PM GMT

Unai Emery talking to Amazon

“I tried to enjoy the game! Our work is sometimes hard but today we performed seriously. I was enjoying it more than struggling. We tried to overcome the mistakes we made and we did.Our start was fantastic. One mistake and they score. The second half was like the first. We finished the match with a bit of pressure on us but the Champions League is always difficult. We played our game plan consistently and dominated.

“When we prepare the game the plan is for the substitutes to help. [Ollie] Watkins had a small injury. [Matty] Cash was tired. Jhon [Duran] is very passionate and he played fantastically. His potential is massive offensively and he is improving defensively.

“When it is 2-2 late on you still have to remain positive. Today was key. We wanted to beat Juventus but the point was important. We are going to enjoy and try to finish in the top eight.”

10:17 PM GMT

Jhon Duran speaking to Amazon Prime

“We worked hard as a team and my job is to score, which I work hard to do. The main thing is three points away from home, which is what we got.

“I am happy to be here and happy with the competition with Ollie Watkins. We are working hard to go far in this competition and happy to be where we are in the standings.”

10:11 PM GMT

End of the Champions League road for Leipzig

10:10 PM GMT

The English beating the Germans

10:09 PM GMT

Current top eight in the Champions League table halfway through matchday six

  1. Liverpool: 18 points, 6 games

  2. Bayer Leverkusen: 13 points, 6 games

  3. Aston Villa: 13 points, 6 games

  4. Inter Milan: 13 points, 6 games

  5. Brest: 13 points, 6 games

  6. Barcelona: 12 points, 5 games

  7. Borussia Dortmund: 12 points, 5 games

  8. Bayern Munich: 12 points, 6 games

10:06 PM GMT

Reaction from the Aston Villa players

Ross Barkley:

“The role for the lads from the bench is to try and come on and make a difference. Jhon Duran made a difference and I am happy to come off the bench to score the winner. It was an important win. They [his goal] all count. Jhon is brilliant as you have seen throughout the season. He scores goal and causes chaos. We have two strikers scoring goals.”

John McGinn:

“It was disappointing losing the offside goal, which was a bit of a hammer blow. The two goals we conceded were really poor from our point of view. We controlled the game well throughout the game and we did not allow Leipzig to have many chances. They are a good team at home and we knew they would be a threat. Overall I think we were the better team and we could have scored more. We thought they would set up as a back three/ five but set up as a back four which suited us a bit more. They then changed to a back five but we dealt with it well. It is really exciting to be involved and it is a bit surreal to be in the top three at the moment.”

10:01 PM GMT

Tonight’s Champions League games

5.45pm kick-offs:

Girona 0-1 Liverpool

Dinamo Zagreb 0-0 Celtic

8pm kick-offs:

Atalanta 2-3 Real Madrid

Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Inter Milan

Brest 1-0 PSV

Club Brugge 2-1 Sporting

RB Leipzig 2-3 Aston Villa

Red Bull Salzburg 0-3 PSG

Shakhtar Donetsk 1-5 Bayern Munich

09:58 PM GMT

Match stats

Possession: Leipzig 47%- 53% Aston Villa

Shots: 17-19

Shots on target: 6-8

Corners: 5-7

Touches in opposition box: 24-30

09:53 PM GMT

Full time

There is the final whistle and Aston Villa have won in Leipzig 3-2. Goals from McGinn, Duran and Barkley sees Unai Emery’s side past Marco Rose’s men, who have now lost six from six in this season’s Champions League. Aston Villa currently sit third in the big Champions League table but Leipzig are officially out.

09:52 PM GMT

90+2 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 3

Maatsen makes a mess of a clearance inside his own box but Openda, who has probably been Leipzig’s best player tonight, cannot take the opportunity as he slices wide.

09:49 PM GMT

90 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 3

Kampl shoots from range but he cannot keep it down and it goes over the bar.

There will be four added minutes at the end of this game.

09:48 PM GMT

89 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 3

Aston Villa are looking nervy here as Nusa has a shot saved down to his right by Martinez. Three times Unai Emery’s side have taken the lead tonight but can they hold on this time?

09:47 PM GMT

87 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 3

Henrichs drives a ball across from the left-hand side of the box that Martinez sticks his leg out to stop. Aston Villa then counter and it ends up with Rogers on the left-hand side of the Leipzig penalty area, but his shot goes into the side netting.

09:45 PM GMT

GOAL! Aston Villa back ahead late on

With just five minutes of normal time left Unai Emery’s side are back into the lead. Barkley, who has only just come on, takes on a shot from just outside the box and slips as he takes the shot. It takes a huge deflection off Klostermann, who is a recent substitute as well, and goes into the net.

09:42 PM GMT

83 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 2

Double Aston Villa change:

OFF Tielemans, Digne

ON Barkley, Maatsen

Leipzig change:

OFF Vermeeren

ON Klostermann

09:41 PM GMT

82 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 2

Aston Villa nearly gift Leipzig a goal. Pau Torres plays a terrible pass across the face of his penalty area and Openda is onto it. He hits it first time but it ends up being a pretty simple save for Martinez. Openda probably should have buried that to put his side ahead. They tell you from a young age as a defender never pass across the pitch like that with attackers anywhere near by but Torres did and he is lucky to get away with that one.

09:39 PM GMT

80 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 2

Openda’s free-kick hits the wall and the chance is gone.

09:38 PM GMT

79 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 2

Carlos is penalised for a foul just outside his own penalty area and it could have been for one of two fouls; one on Openda and one on Andre Silva. Carlos is shown a yellow card and will now miss their next Champions League game against Monaco. This is a free-kick in a dangerous position for the hosts. Openda is standing over it...

09:35 PM GMT

76 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 2

Leipzig change:

OFF Sesko

ON Andre Silva

Not really a surprise that substitution as Sesko was a peripheral figure tonight.

09:34 PM GMT

75 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 2

A draw really is no good for Leipzig, who need a win just to remain in the hunt for a spot in the knockout stages. They have zero points so far so a win is an absolute minimum for them tonight.

Aston Villa change:

OFF McGinn

ON Buendia

09:32 PM GMT

73 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 2

Great save from Gulacsi. Digne is found on the left-hand side of the Leipzig box after a neat one-two between Rogers and McGinn. Digne forces Gulacsi into a diving stop to put it behind for a corner.

It is taken short and McGinn’s delivery all the way to the far post and parried behind by Gulacsi. After a couple of crosses into the box Leipzig are eventually able to clear their lines.

09:29 PM GMT

70 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 2

Aston Villa change:

OFF Cash

ON Nedeljkovic

09:27 PM GMT

68 mins: RB Leipzig 2 Aston Villa 2

A lot of the spotlight ahead of the game was on Sesko but he has had a very quiet game up top for Leipzig. Openda has been more of a threat than Sesko tonight.

09:21 PM GMT

GOAL! Baumgartner scores stunning equaliser

Just moments ago Aston Villa thought they were 3-1 up but now it is 2-2. The ball is played in behind to Openda, who is very close to being offside. Martinez does not come out of his goal but Openda cannot take the shot on himself. He waits and dinks a ball to the back post, where Baumgartner meets it on the volley and finds the far corner in some style. That was some finish. Openda was just onside so the goal stands. 2-2.

09:17 PM GMT

58 mins: RB Leipzig 1 Aston Villa 2

Aston Villa think they have made it 3-1 as Cash lays it across to Duran, who slots home for his second goal in quick succession. However Cash was offside in the build-up and the goal is chalked off. Had that goal stood that probably would have killed this game off but Leipzig are still in it.

09:14 PM GMT

55 mins: RB Leipzig 1 Aston Villa 2

Rogers has a chance inside the Leipzig box after cutting onto his left foot but he cannot keep his effort down and it goes over the bar.

09:13 PM GMT

53 mins: RB Leipzig 1 Aston Villa 2

Rogers sends in a cross from the byline, which Gulacsi makes a mess of. He cannot cross and has to race to slap the ball away just before Kamara can get on the end of it. Aston Villa surely must be smelling blood here and will want to go for the kill here.

09:11 PM GMT

GOAL! Duran scores from distance

He has only been on the pitch for just over five minutes but Duran has put Aston Villa ahead. He shoots from range and manages to get it over Gulacsi, who should not be getting beaten like that over his head. Gulacsi was five metres off his line and is effectively lobbed. That is Duran’s 10th goal of the season and his sixth off the bench.

09:09 PM GMT

50 mins: RB Leipzig 1 Aston Villa 1

Space opens up for Kamara outside the Leipzig box but his effort lacks power and is straight at Gulacsi.

09:07 PM GMT

48 mins: RB Leipzig 1 Aston Villa 1

Aston Villa win the first corner of this second half out on the left. Tielemans takes it short to McGinn and then gets it back. Tielemans then sends in the delivery, which Leipzig head away but Aston Villa keep it alive. They then send it in from the right and it ends up at the feet of Duran, who drags a good chance wide.

09:04 PM GMT

Second half

We are back under way in Leipzig. Aston Villa have made a change at the break as Duran replaces Watkins. Is that tactial or is there an injury? Leipzig also have decided to make a change, with Kampl coming on for Haidara.

09:01 PM GMT

Alan Shearer on Amazon Prime

“Aston Villa’s good work was undone by one crazy error. RB Leipzig got back into it but Villa have created chances.

“I think if they get that timing right on the pass to Watkins in behind, they could score today. No panic yet.”

08:57 PM GMT

Tonight’s Champions League games

5.45pm kick-offs:

Girona 0-1 Liverpool (FT)

Dinamo Zagreb 0-0 Celtic (FT)

8pm kick-offs (all at half time):

Atalanta 1-1 Real Madrid

Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Inter Milan

Brest 1-0 PSV

Club Brugge 1-1 Sporting

RB Leipzig 1-1 Aston Villa

Red Bull Salzburg 0-1 PSG

Shakhtar Donetsk 1-2 Bayern Munich

08:52 PM GMT

Match stats

Possession: Leipzig 48%- 52% Aston Villa

Shots: 6-7

Shots on target: 1-4

Corners: 2-3

Touches in opposition box: 7-14

08:48 PM GMT

Half time

That is it for the first half and it is 1-1 at the break. McGinn had given Aston Villa a very early lead but Openda’s equaliser means the sides are level at half time.

08:47 PM GMT

45 mins: RB Leipzig 1 Aston Villa 1

Leipzig win a corner after Openda’s cross is deflected behind for a corner. Aston Villa are unhappy as they felt Openda was perhaps offside and the ball may have gone out before Openda crossed it. The corner comes to nothing though.

One added minute at the end of this first half.

08:46 PM GMT

44 mins: RB Leipzig 1 Aston Villa 1

Watkins is in into the Leipzig box down the right but just as he takes his shot he is losing his balance and is falling so his shot lacks much power and is an easy save for Gulacsi.

08:43 PM GMT

41 mins: RB Leipzig 1 Aston Villa 1

Watkins has the ball in the back of the Leipzig net but the flag is up. McGinn played it forward into Watkins, who drives into the Leipzig box and slots underneath Gulacsi. Live it looked miles offside but on the replays it was much closer than first thought but still offside. It remains 1-1 with just a few minutes remaining of this first half.

08:37 PM GMT

35 mins: RB Leipzig 1 Aston Villa 1

Chance for Aston Villa. Rogers plays the ball into the path of Cash in the right-hand channel. He takes the shot on from inside the box but it is fairly easily saved by Gulacsi. It goes behind for a corner but McGinn’s delivery is headed away at the near post by Leipzig’s goalscorer Openda.

08:35 PM GMT

33 mins: RB Leipzig 1 Aston Villa 1

Openda lays the ball across to Henrichs inside the Aston Villa box and his shot is deflected behind for a corner. There were plenty of Aston Villa bodies in the way of that shot but the hosts have a corner, which is sent into the near post and headed away. Henrichs takes on a shot from distance but his effort goes miles over the bar.

08:29 PM GMT

GOAL! Openda equalises for the hosts

Leipzig are level and Martinez has committed an absolute howler. A long ball is lifted in behind the Aston Villa defence by Seiwald but for some reason Martinez does not go for the ball, allowing the ball to bounce and is caught in no man’s land. Openda goes round Martinez and slots home into an empty net. Unai Emery will be wondering how on earth his side are only drawing this match. A huge, huge mistake from Martinez.

08:26 PM GMT

24 mins: RB Leipzig 0 Aston Villa 1

Henrichs is penalised for a foul down Aston Villa’s left, which gives the visitors a free-kick in a great spot not far outside the penalty area. Tielemans sends in a poor delivery which does not beat the first man Openda but he can only head behind for a corner so the danger is not over.

The corner eventually comes to Cash, who runs onto it from the edge of the box but slices his effort well wide under pressure from onrushing Leipzig defenders.

08:24 PM GMT

22 mins: RB Leipzig 0 Aston Villa 1

Leipzig do have a number of injuries at the moment with the likes of Xavi Simons, Castello Lukeba and Yussuf Poulsen all missing. They have only been able to name seven players on their bench when you can name a maximum of 12.

08:22 PM GMT

20 mins: RB Leipzig 0 Aston Villa 1

Tielemans cynically takes out Nusa as the Leipzig man skipped past the Belgian midfielder but avoids a yellow card. Perhaps because Tielemans has not conceded a few fouls before that incident he has escaped a booking but he is slightly fortunate as it was cynical.

08:16 PM GMT

14 mins: RB Leipzig 0 Aston Villa 1

Leipzig are in fourth in the Bundesliga but have lost all five of their Champions League games so far. At the moment they are heading towards six straight defeats in the competition as it is all Aston Villa. Leipzig look like a side short on confidence and despite being at home they are certainly not on top, far from it.

Tielemans has time and space on the edge of the penalty area but drags his shot wide. That was a good chance for the Belgian midfielder.

08:13 PM GMT

11 mins: RB Leipzig 0 Aston Villa 1

Leipzig give the ball away inside their own half and Watkins feeds it into Rogers, who takes on a shot from outside the box but his effort is straight at Gulacsi and it is a routine save.

08:10 PM GMT

8 mins: RB Leipzig 0 Aston Villa 1

Nearly a second for Aston Villa. Digne flashes a ball across and Watkins misses a glorious tap-in opportunity. The cross was superb, the finish was lacking. Unai Emery’s side should be 2-0 up already.

08:04 PM GMT

GOAL! McGinn gives Aston Villa lead inside three minutes

First attack of the night for the visitors and Unai Emery’s side are ahead. Cash, who is playing further forward tonight, curls one towards the back post. It finds the head of Watkins, who cutely cushions a header into the path of McGinn, who calmly slots home past Gulacsi. RB Leipzig’s issues in this competition this season continue.

08:03 PM GMT

1 min: RB Leipzig 0 Aston Villa 0

Early chance for the hosts inside the first minute. Nusa plays it behind through the left-hand channel to find Sesko. He takes on the shot from just inside the box but cannot keep his effort on target. Well wide in the end.

08:01 PM GMT

Kick-off

We are under way in Leipzig. 34th vs 9th in the huge Champions League table.

07:58 PM GMT

Kick-off fast approaching

Both sides have emerged from the tunnel and we are just moments away from kick-off in Leipzig.

07:53 PM GMT

Liverpool make it six wins out of six

Over in Girona Liverpool have won 1-0 thanks to Mohamed Salah’s second-half penalty. Arne Slot’s side have won all six games so far in this season’s Champions League and are top of the league table. They are pretty much guaranteed a spot in the last-16 with two games to spare. You can follow all the reaction to Liverpool’s victory right here.

07:51 PM GMT

Reminder of the team news

RB Leipzig: Gulacsi, Geertruida, Orban, Nusa, Haidara, Openda, Seiwald, Baumgartner, Vermeeren, Sesko, Henrichs.

Substitutes: Vandevoordt, Klostermann, Andre Silva, Sakar, Jatta, Kampl, Gebel.

Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Carlos, Konsa, Pau Torres, Digne, Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Watkins.

Substitutes: Olsen, Gauci, Nedeljkovic, Bogarde, Maatsen, Mings, Swinkels, Onana, Barkley, Buendia, Philogene, Duran.

07:44 PM GMT

Visitors gearing up

Aston Villa players warming up
Aston Villa sit just outside the top eight in the Champions League table - Filip Singer/Shutterstock

07:40 PM GMT

Hosts out to warm up

07:38 PM GMT

Tonight’s Champions League games

5.45pm kick-offs:

Girona 0-1 Liverpool (FT)

Dinamo Zagreb 0-0 Celtic (FT)

8pm kick-offs:

Atalanta vs Real Madrid

Bayer Leverkusen vs Inter Milan

Brest vs PSV

Club Brugge vs Sporting

RB Leipzig vs Aston Villa

Red Bull Salzburg vs PSG

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Bayern Munich

07:30 PM GMT

Alan Shearer on Benjamin Sesko

07:24 PM GMT

Sesko in the spotlight

Benjamin Sesko, the RB Leipzig forward, is one to watch tonight and got a namecheck from Unai Emery in the press conference on Monday.

The Slovenian international is still only 21 but remains a highly regarded operator who has admirers across Europe and in the Premier League.

Leipzig have lost all their Champions League games so far but recent results have suggested an upturn in fortune. Sesko will be crucial to their hopes of securing a sorely needed victory.

Another Leipzig player with an interesting story is right-back Lutsharel Geertruida, a Villa target in the summer.

Villa were very keen on signing the Netherlands international but needed to offload Diego Carlos in order to make room to comply with financial rules.

07:18 PM GMT

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07:15 PM GMT

Full team news

Marco Rose names an unchanged side for RB Leipzig following their 2-0 win against Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga on the weekend. They are limited on options in the squad with a number of injuries to the likes of Xavi Simons and Yussuf Poulsen. They are only able to name seven players on the bench.

RB Leipzig: Gulacsi, Geertruida, Orban, Nusa, Haidara, Openda, Seiwald, Baumgartner, Vermeeren, Sesko, Henrichs.

Substitutes: Vandevoordt, Klostermann, Andre Silva, Sakar, Jatta, Kampl, Gebel.

Aston Villa make three changes to the side that beat Southampton 1-0 on Saturday. Matty Cash, Lucas Digne and Ollie Watkins come in for Jhon Duran, Ian Maatsen and Leon Bailey.

Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Carlos, Konsa, Pau Torres, Digne, Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Watkins.

Substitutes: Olsen, Gauci, Nedeljkovic, Bogarde, Maatsen, Mings, Swinkels, Onana, Barkley, Buendia, Philogene, Duran.

07:09 PM GMT

Kamara key for Aston Villa

When it comes to Aston Villa’s most valuable player, it is difficult to look beyond Boubacar Kamara.

The France international is invaluable to Unai Emery and his game model, and will be screening the back-three here at the RB Arena.

For more detail on why Kamara is so indispensable for Villa, read this.

07:03 PM GMT

Hosts arriving

07:00 PM GMT

Watkins gets the nod up top

Good evening from the majestic Red Bull Arena, where Aston Villa are hoping to edge a step closer towards the Champions League knockout stages.

After a recent wobble, Villa have won their last two games and face a Leipzig team who have had a nightmare so far in the competition.

Villa have won three of their five games in Europe so far, although their most recent results have been a 1-0 loss to Club Brugge and a goalless draw with Juventus.

Unai Emery was discussing the prospect of playing Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran together in attack, but that experiment will have to wait a little longer. Watkins starts with Duran on the bench.

06:55 PM GMT

RB Leipzig team news

06:50 PM GMT

Aston Villa team news

06:43 PM GMT

Match preview

Aston Villa have failed to win their last two Champions League matches but they remain in touch with the top eight and tonight face an RB Leipzig team without a single point in the competition.

After a lean spell domestically for Unai Emery’s team, there were home comforts to be found in consecutive league victories over Brentford and Southampton at Villa Park which set them up well for this trip to Germany.

Villa are one of seven clubs on 10 points from five games in the Champions League, and how they fare against RB Leipzig, Monaco away and Celtic at home will determine if they qualify automatically for the last 16.

In his pre-match press conference, Emery said: “Tomorrow is day six and it’s very important because we can feel we’re close to the next round, but we have the opportunity to be in the top eight.

“They played against Liverpool, they lost. They played against Juventus, they lost. They played against Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Celtic as well and they don’t have one point. They have nil, but tomorrow is an opportunity for them to get some chance to be in the next round.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery speaking during a press conference
Aston Villa sit just outside the top eight in the Champions League league table - Neville Williams/Getty Images

“I like matches like that because it’s a key match for them to get to the next round - it’s a good match to see how the players face a team with more experiences in this competition than us.”

Striker Jhon Duran started and scored in Villa’s win over Southampton on Saturday, with Emery admitting his next challenge would be finding a place for the Colombian and Ollie Watkins in the same XI. Villa will be without Jacob Ramsey and Leon Bailey owing to injury, but they have been strengthened by the return of defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara in recent weeks.

RB Leipzig are having a solid Bundesliga season, fourth after 13 games, although their expected goals data suggests their performances lag some way behind the league’s best two teams Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. In Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko they have a very lively strike partnership, though.

Full team news on the way shortly.