Aston Villa will look to strengthen their case for an automatic spot in the last 16 with a win at home against BSC Young Boys.

In form, Aston Villa will be eyeing a fourth straight win across competitions when they host Young Boys on Thursday night in the Europa League.

The home team are sixth in the UEL table with nine points in their four outings. After suffering a surprise defeat at the hands of Go Ahead Eagles in matchday 3, Villa returned to winning ways in Europe against Maccabi Tel Aviv last time out.

They have won four out of their last five outings, and are heading into this fixture on the back of an impressive 2-1 win over Leeds United. Unai Emery’s team will be confident of securing yet another win when they host Young Boys at Villa Park.

Meanwhile, the visitors have been a touch inconsistent in Europe. They are 22nd on the table with six points in their four outings. They suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of PAOK in their last European outing.

Since losing that fixture, they have secured consecutive wins in the league. While they will be high on confidence, squaring up against Villa away from home won’t be easy. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.

Team News & Tactics

Aston Villa

The home team will certainly be without the services of Tyrone Mings and Andres Garcia due to injury. Meanwhile, Amadou Onana will be assessed ahead of kick-off.

Ross Barkley has replaced Mings in their Europa League squad, so he is now available for selection.

Villa will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Emiliano Martinez will be in goal. Victor Lindelof and Ian Maatsen will be the full-backs, while Eri Konsa will pair up with Pau Torres in central defence.

The back four will receive significant support from Lamare Bogarde and Barkley, who will form the double pivot. They will look to ensure they control the tempo of the game.

In the final third, Evann Guessand and Jadon Sancho could feature on the flanks, while Morgan Rogers should feature in the number ten role. Donyell Malen could be the one leading the line in this fixture.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Lindelof, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Bogarde, Barkley; Guessand, Rogers, Sancho; Malen

Young Boys

Armin Gigovi is suspended for this fixture after having picked up a red card last time out. Meanwhile, Edimilson Fernandes, Zachary Athekame and Facinet Conte are all out injured.

The visitors will also line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Marvin Keller will be in goal. Ryan Andrews and Jaouen Hadjam will be the full-backs, while Sandro Lauper will partner with Tanguy Zoukrou in central defence.

In the centre of the park, Rayan Raveloson will partner with Dominik Pech. The duo will look to shield the backline and ensure Villa midfielders do not dominate the proceedings.

Christian Fassnacht and Alan Virginius should feature on the flanks, providing width to their attacks, while Alvyn Sanches will feature as the attacking midfielder behind Chris Bedia, who will spearhead the attack.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Keller; Andrews, Lauper, Zoukrou, Hadjam; Raveloson, Pech; Fassnacht, Sanches, Virginius; Bedia

Key Stats

• The two teams squared up in the initial stage of the Champions League last season, with Villa securing a 3-0 win away from home.
• Villa have won four out of their last five games across competitions.
• After a run of three games without a win across competitions, Young Boys have won their last two outings.
• Unai Emery’s team haven’t lost a home game since their defeat to Crystal Palace towards the end of August.
• The Spanish manager has won the competition on four occasions, and it is one of the major reasons why Villa are favourites.

Player to Watch

Morgan Rogers

Embed from Getty Images

The 23-year-old has taken his game to the next level since joining Villa at the start of 2024. Not only has he established himself as a key figure in the team, but he is now widely regarded as one of the best young players in the Premier League.

While he hasn’t lit up the world, Rogers has had an impressive start to the season with six goal contributions in his 17 outings. The English international is yet to find the back of the net in the Europa League, so he will be looking to get on the scoresheet and secure all three points for his team.

Prediction

Aston Villa 3-1 Young Boys

Aston Villa come into this fixture in superb form and with the momentum firmly on their side. Unai Emery’s men have won four of their last five games across competitions and look increasingly confident with every outing. Their strong showing against Leeds United over the weekend only reinforces the sense that Villa are building something solid once again under Emery.

Young Boys will also arrive with belief after back-to-back league wins, but facing Villa away from home is a different challenge altogether. The visitors have looked vulnerable defensively in the Europa League, as highlighted by their heavy defeat against PAOK, and they now take on one of the competition’s most tactically astute managers. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the home team.