Bruges is known as a fairy tale city, but the real fairy tale belongs to Aston Villa, which is much closer to continuing its remarkable run in this Champions League. The English side secured a 3-1 victory in Belgium in the first leg of the Round of 16 and now looks to finish the job at home.
Neither of these teams was expected to reach the quarterfinals of Europe's elite competition, but one of them will secure a spot among the final eight. Kick off at Villa Park stadium is set for Wednesday, March 12, at 4 p.m. ET.
Here is my Aston Villa vs. Club Brugge prediction and Champions League odds for today's match.
Aston Villa vs. Club Brugge Prediction, Pick, Champions League Odds
| Club Brugge Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1 -130 | 2.5 -160o / 125u | +400 |
| Aston Villa Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1 -105 | 2.5 -160o / 125u | -160 |
- Aston Villa vs. Club Brugge moneyline odds: Aston Villa -160, Draw +330, Brugge +400
- Aston Villa vs. Club Brugge over/under: 2.5 Goals (-160 Over, +125 Under )
- Aston Villa vs. Club Brugge pick: Under 2.5 goals
I am backing under 2.5 goals in the Aston Villa vs. Brugge match.
Aston Villa Prediction
The Birmingham club was crowned European champion for the first and only time in the 1981-82 season. More than 40 years later, their fans dare to dream of repeating that historic feat — one that could even see them again face Bayern Munich in a final.
That road won’t be easy, and the first step is to finish off the series against Club Brugge. The 3-1 scoreline in the first leg was somewhat misleading as the Belgian side had more possession, passes and shots. However, Aston Villa was more clinical and in the end, goals make the difference.
Manager Unai Emery will have goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez and Marco Asensio available after both missed last Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League win. Another positive development is that midfielder Amadou Onana, a regular starter at the beginning of the season, is also close to returning after being sidelined since early February.
With Ross Barkley still out due to injury and new signings like Andrés García and Donyell Malen left off the club’s European squad, Emery is expected to stick with the same lineup from the first leg. Leon Bailey, Marcus Rashford (who has rediscovered his form since arriving on loan from Manchester United) and Ollie Watkins will lead the attack.
Club Brugge Prediction
Club Brugge reached the Round of 16 by knocking out Atalanta, the reigning Europa League champions, in the Playoffs. However, against Aston Villa — and in front of their home crowd — they received a reality check on the gap that still separates them from Europe’s top clubs.
The only Belgian team to ever reach a final in Europe's top club competition (in 1979) didn’t play badly in the first leg, but collapsed due to their own mistakes in the final minutes. An own goal by Brandon Mechele and an unnecessary foul inside the box by Christos Tzolis left them two goals behind in the tie.
With limited squad options, their hopes of pulling off an upset in England will depend on being more clinical in front of goal and, above all, improving defensively. Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet will need to step up in this match.
Fortunately for the Belgian side, they have no significant absences for the second leg, so their lineup is expected to remain largely unchanged. Chemsdine Talbi and Ferran Jutglà have been their most effective scorers in the Champions League, though they have managed just two goals each.
Aston Villa vs. Club Brugge Pick
Aston Villa is a dominant force at home as they have won nine of their past 11 European matches at Villa Park.
Meanwhile, Club Brugge has never won a match on English soil (0-14-2). To break that streak, they will need more firepower up front as they have the lowest xG per game (1.21) among the 16 remaining teams in the competition.
To make matters worse, they will be up against Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez, who leads the Champions League in goals prevented (4.3). And with the English side already in control of the tie, there’s no need for them to take unnecessary risks going forward.
