Aston Villa vs Juventus predicted lineups and team news | OneFootball

The Champions League has reached Matchday Five and there is a huge clash taking place at Villa Park between Aston Villa and Juventus on Wednesday, live on TNT Sports 2 at 8pm.

Aston Villa vs Juventus predicted lineups

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Barkley, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Francisco Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Kenan Yildiz; Weah

Villa have won three of their four matches in the new league phase, leaving them in the mix for a top-eight finish, while the Old Lady are just two points behind their hosts.

Apprentice takes on the master

Villa boss Unai Emery’s first managerial post came back in 2004 with Lorca Deportiva and he will now go up against a manager he coached at Paris Saint-Germain between 2016 and 2018, Thiago Motta.

Motta ended his playing career at PSG at the end of the 2017-18 season, the same point that Emery left his role before then taking charge of Arsenal. The ex-Italy international has made a strong start to his managerial career.

After brief spells with Genoa and Spezia, Motta headed to Bologna in 2022 and he guided the club to a fifth-placed finish in the 2023-24 Serie A campaign, earning a place in the Champions League.

Snapped up by Juve in the summer, the 42-year-old has steered the Old Lady to sixth position in the table, four points off leaders Napoli. They are the only team yet to taste defeat in the Italian top-flight this season.

It has been tougher for them in Europe, with two wins, one draw and defeat registered from their four fixtures. But they will fancy their chances of overcoming a Villa side who have gone six matches without a victory in all competitions.

Can Motta get one over on his former boss? Will Villa snap this disappointing run of form and increase their chances of a top-eight finish in the Champions League? Whatever happens, it is building up to be a fascinating encounter between two people that know each other well.

Aston Villa vs Juventus team news

Villa duo Boubacar Kamara and Jacob Ramsey are unavailable for this clash due to injury, while there are doubts over the fitness of Ezri Konsa and Amadou Onana.

Konsa and Onana missed the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace at the weekend because of “small injuries” and they will be assessed closer to kick-off.

It is thought England international Konsa will have shaken off the issue to take his place in the heart of defence, although the situation is not as clear for midfielder Onana.

Jhon Duran and Diego Carlos will miss the next European match if they pick up a booking on Wednesday.

As for Juve, Bremer and Juan Cabal are both long-term absentees, while Arkadiusz Milik, Nico Gonzalez and Vasilije Adzic are not expected back until December.

The Old Lady also have doubts over former Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, Weston McKennie and star striker Dusan Vlahovic.