Young Boys take on Aston Villa in first-ever UCL meeting.
Young Boys vs
Aston Villa
In their first ever meeting, Young Boys and Aston Villa square off at Stadion Wankdorf, as both clubs aim to make a memorable start in the revamped UEFA Champions League group stage.
Young Boys
Young Boys reached the 2024-2025 Champions League proper after a 4-2 aggregate win against Turkish side Galatasaray in the play-off rounds. The Swiss Super League champions secured a 3-2 victory at Stadion Wankdorf before traveling to Turkey, where they claimed a 1-0 win, securing consecutive appearances in the competition for the first time ever.
With the competition adopting a new league-like format, where each team plays four home and four away games against eight different teams, Young Boys will be looking to capitalize on home advantage. They welcome Aston Villa on Tuesday, hoping to secure maximum points in what will be their first-ever meeting.
A 4-2 win against FC Vevey United in the Swiss Cup last time out sets the right tone for the hosts going into Tuesday’s game. However, Patrick Rahmen’s side have won just one of their last six games against English opponents in the UEFA Champions League [1W, 1D, 4L], with the latest ending in a 6-1 aggregate loss to Manchester City last season.
Furthermore, the Swiss club have lost four of their last seven European home matches, as many as in their previous 21 games. A 4—4—2 could be seen against Aston Villa, with Cedric Itten and Joël Monteiro in attack.
Aston Villa
After finishing fourth in the league last season, one-time European Cup champions Aston Villa are back in the competition for the first time since its rebranding. Villa are participating for the third time overall, and the first since 1982/83, when they lost 5-2 on aggregate to Juventus in the quarterfinals.
Their previous campaign ended the defence of the trophy they claimed with a 1-0 win against Bayern München in 1982. Last season, Unai Emery’s side competed in their first continental competition since 2010/11 but were eliminated in the UEFA Europa Conference League semifinals by Olympiacos.
Now back in the continent’s biggest club competition, Villa face a trip to Young Boys for their first test and will be eager to kickstart their return on a strong note. The Villans are coming off a comeback 3-2 victory against Everton in the league, hoping to carry that momentum into Tuesday’s game.
Jhon Durán, who scored a 30-yard screamer at the weekend, and Ollie Watkins, who bagged a brace against Everton, are expected to start in attack. Emery is likely to deploy the team in a 4-4-2 formation.
