Aiming to book a spot in the last 16 of the Champions League, Aston Villa will welcome Scottish giants Celtic to Villa Park for a Battle of Britain on Wednesday night in UEFA's elite club competition.
The Villans come into this clash following a share of the points with West Ham United in the Premier League, whilst the Bhoys have been afforded nearly a week to bask in the glory of their victory over Young Boys on matchday seven of the League Phase.
Match preview
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Returning to the elite level of European football for the first time in four decades, one-time Champions League victors Aston Villa have undoubtedly proven that they are not just in the competition to make up the numbers, with the Second City club already securing their spot in the knockout stages next month.
However, a solitary strike from Monaco's Wilfried Singo condemned the Villans to their second loss of the league phase last Tuesday night, dropping Unai Emery's troops down to ninth in the league phase rankings, meaning that they likely need three points against Celtic to skip the stress of the playoff round.
Villa should be supremely confident of getting themselves over the line at their formidable Midlands base, with Wednesday's hosts unbeaten in nine matches at Villa Park in front of their own supporters, although a 41,000-strong crowd witnessed a frustrating performance on Sunday afternoon.
A first Premier League strike of the 2024-25 campaign from Jacob Ramsey fired the Villans ahead against West Ham on the weekend in the eighth minute, although the Hammers produced a respectable comeback during the second period, when left-back Emerson restored parity in the contest.
Winless in their last three matches across all competitions - their longest such run since late November - Villa are slowly slipping out of contention for a Champions League spot for next season, with Emery's men four points back from fifth-placed Newcastle United in the Premier League standings.
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Securing possession of the Scottish crown in each of the last three campaigns and leading the current title race by a staggering 10 points, Celtic are the undisputed masters of their respective domestic scene, with Wednesday's visitors losing just one of their 23 Premiership matches this term.
The elephant in the room over the past few years has been the Bhoys' lacklustre showings under the bright lights in Europe, but the revamped league phase has given Brendan Rodgers's side a genuine opportunity to make a serious challenge at reaching the latter stages of the Champions League.
Four points ahead of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in 25th spot, Celtic are assured of at least a playoff finish ahead of their daunting trip to Villa Park this week, and maximum points in the Second City would keep alive their faint hopes of placing inside the top eight.
Enjoying a nine-game unbeaten run at Celtic Park stretching back to late November, the Bhoys have found matches on the road a stumbling block at the beginning of 2025, with the Scottish champions losing at Rangers and being forced to share the spoils at lowly Dundee so far this month domestically.
Only Premier League duo Liverpool (12) and Arsenal (12) have collected more Champions League home points than Celtic's 10 in the League Phase, but Rodgers's men have struggled in away contests, failing to win during any of their three trips so far, conceding seven goals in the painful process.
Team News
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Aston Villa's injury crisis at centre-back worsened during the draw with West Ham on Sunday afternoon, when Tyrone Mings was forced off in the first half due to a knee injury.
The former England international has since jumped on social media to confirm that the issue is not too serious, but it is likely that Ezri Konsa will require a new partner in the backline on Wednesday night.
There is better news on the fitness front for the Villans in the form of John McGinn, who made his return to the matchday squad on the weekend following a four-game layoff because of a hamstring strain.
Emery is still battling on with limited options in the midfield owing to the absences of Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley, with the pair suffering from hamstring and calf problems respectively.
Adding to Villa's headaches at the back, Spaniard Pau Torres is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks with a foot injury picked up in late December.
Seeing red during the closing stages of the win over Young Boys last week, Japan international Daizen Maeda is suspended for Celtic's outing this week.
Featuring in the victory last time out, Kyogo Furuhashi has played his final match for the Bhoys, with a transfer to French outfit Rennes now confirmed. Jota has moved in the opposite direction back to Celtic Park, but he is ineligible for this one.
Rodgers will be unable to call upon the talents of both James Forrest (foot) and Odin Thiago Holm (calf), limiting the visitors' options in midfield and attack.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Digne, Maatsen; Tielemans, Kamara; Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Idah, Palma
We say: Aston Villa 1-0 Celtic
With plenty on the line for both Villa and Celtic on Wednesday night, we are expecting a nervy contest as the two sides battle it out for a potential top-eight spot.
The Villans will have more quality on the pitch and in reserve, and we feel that a moment of magic from the hosts will lead to a narrow success on the final night of the league phase.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
