Aston Villa remain firmly in the Premier League title race and arrive in this Europa League clash full of confidence. Unai Emery side picked up an impressive 2–0 away win against Newcastle United at the weekend, closing the gap on league leaders Arsenal to just four points. The club has also taken to their X handle to share training videos, showing the squad preparing with focus and intensity ahead of the European fixture.
Watch video below;
That result came only days after another important victory in Europe. Villa beat Fenerbahce 1–0 in Turkey in Emery’s 100th Europa League match as a manager, a win that secured direct qualification to the last 16 with a game to spare.
Watch highlight below;
Villa now sit level on points with Lyon at the top of the Europa League table, having won six of their seven league phase matches.
Softfootball reported that Villa Park has been a stronghold, with the hosts winning 19 of their last 22 home games in all competitions.
Although they lost their most recent league match at home to Everton, they will be aiming to finish their European league phase with a seventh straight win in the competition.
Red Bull Salzburg travel to England knowing they must win to keep their Europa League hopes alive.
The Austrian champions boosted their chances with a 3–1 home win over Basel last week, but they still sit outside the playoff places and need other results to go their way.
Salzburg have never beaten an English side in European competition and face a tough task against a Villa team unbeaten at home in Europe this season.
Team News
Aston Villa will be without Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn through injury, and Emery is expected to rotate his squad. Red Bull Salzburg are missing Takumu Kawamura and John Mellberg but will rely on Petar Ratkov and Kerim Alajbegovic in attack.
Possible Lineups
Aston Villa:
Bizot; Garcia, Lindelof, Mings, Digne; Bogarde, Onana, Hemmings; Sancho, Guessand, Buendia
Red Bull Salzburg:
Schlager; Trummer, Gadou, Schuster, Kratzig; Kitano, Diabate, Bidstrup; Baidoo, Ratkov, Alajbegovic
Prediction
Salzburg must push forward in this must-win game, but even with rotation, Villa should have enough quality to edge the contest at Villa Park.
Where to watch
| Region | TV Channel | Live Stream |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports 2 | discovery+ app and website |
| United States | — | Paramount+, fuboTV |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| Africa | SuperSport | SuperSport streaming platforms |
| Official Club | — | VillaTV (region/subscription dependent) |
