Aston Villa v Bayern Munich LIVE: Champions League team news, line-ups and more tonight
Aston Villa host the German giants in the second round of the Champions League league phase on Wednesday evening
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Aston Villa host Bayern Munich at Villa Park on Wednesday evening in the second round of fixtures in the 2024/25 Champions League.
The match is another showdown thrown together by the competition’s new league phase format, and Villa come into it having retained much of their from from last season.
Unai Emery’s side are fifth in the Premier League on 13 points, just two behind leaders Liverpool, though they missed the chance to go top of the league last weekend as they drew 2-2 to Ipswich.
As 3-0 win away at BSC Young Boys was a solid start to the European campaign for Villa, but it was bettered by some distance by Bayern’s win in their opener, as the Bavarians beat Dinamo Zagreb 9-2.
And the German champions will provide perhaps the toughest test of the season so far to Unai Emery’s budding Villa side.
Follow all the latest build-up, team news and score updates below, as well as the reaction to the evening’s other Champions League matches:
Bayern Munich’s trip to Aston Villa is a reminder of the most unlikely European triumph
Eleven years after Sir Alex Ferguson won his first European Cup, he was still manager of Manchester United, a season after his third final, a season before his fourth. Eleven years after Jose Mourinho’s maiden triumph, he was in his second spell at Chelsea, claiming the Premier League title for the third time. Eleven years after Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona passed their way to glory in 2009, he had a rare off-year at Manchester City, the only time in the last seven seasons when he did not secure the Premier League title.
And the only manager to make Aston Villa European champions? Eleven years after beating Bayern Munich in Rotterdam, Tony Barton agreed to become manager of a club in the Wessex League, the ninth flight of English football, the fifth tier of non-league.
Barton feels the forgotten European Cup winner, perhaps the lowest-profile manager ever to claim the club game’s most prestigious prize. Whereas Guardiola has coached Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester City, while Mourinho leapt from Porto to Chelsea and then Internazionale and Real Madrid, Barton had two managerial posts: at Villa and Northampton Town.
Bayern’s trip to Villa is a reminder of the most unlikely European triumph
Former manager Tony Barton led Villa to European Cup glory in 1982 where they defeated Bayern in the final
Aston Villa make touching tribute
Villa have added the name of the late Gary Shaw, the 1982 European Cup winner who died recently, to their squad list on the back of the programme. It is a nice nod to the heroes of Rotterdam.
Among the class of 2024, it is a huge night for Jaden Philogene, who had not started a game since returning to Villa and spent last season in the Championship with Hull.
Aston Villa v Bayern Munich head-to-head
Villa and Bayern have met on just one occasion previously – that famous final in Rotterdam in 1982.
Villa, who had finished 11th in the First Division that season, faced a Bayern team containing Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in the final at Feyenoord’s De Kuip stadium, and ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a goal from English centre-forward Peter Withe.
That was the first and only European Cup in Villa’s history, while Bayern have since gone on to win three more – in 2001, 2013 and 2020.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery ready for ‘special match’ against Bayern Munich
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is ready for a “special, special match” when his side welcome Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Villa, who opened their campaign with a 3-0 win away at Young Boys, will play their first home fixture in Europe’s top competition since a quarter-final defeat to Juventus in 1983.
German giants Bayern travel to Villa Park for a repeat of the 1982 European Cup final, which Villa famously won.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery ready for ‘special match’ against Bayern Munich
Villa will play their first home fixture in Europe’s top competition since a quarter-final defeat to Juventus in 1983.
Team news
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has made two changes to the side that started the 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.
In defence, Raphael Guerreiro drops out and Joshua Kimmich falls back to right-back, with Konrad Laimer taking his countryman’s place in midfield.
In attack, Jamal Musiala is replaced by Kingsley Coman.
Team news
Leon Bailey is only fit enough to start on the bench for Villa, so Jaden Philogene comes in as the only change to the aide that drew 2-2 with Ipswich last weekend.
Line-ups
Bayern XI: Neuer; Kimmich, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Laimer, Pavlovic; Coman, Olise, Gnabry; Kane.
Subs: Ulreich, Peretz, Guerreiro, Dier, Goretzka, Sane, Muller, Tel, Musiala.
Line-ups
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Philogene, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins.
Subs: Gauci, Zych, Nedeljkovic, Cash, Maatsen, Bogarde, Young, Swinkels, Barkley, Buendia, Bailey, Duran.
Team news
The line-ups should be announced in around five minutes time...
Harry Kane faces late fitness test as Bayern Munich prepare for Aston Villa game
Harry Kane will be assessed on Wednesday morning to see whether he can feature in Bayern Munich’s Champions League clash at Aston Villa.
The England captain hobbled out of Bayern’s Bundesliga draw with Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday after suffering an ankle injury.
He trained on Tuesday morning and travelled with the squad to Birmingham, but a final decision will not be made on his fitness until the day of the match.
Harry Kane faces late fitness test as Bayern Munich prepare for Aston Villa game
Kane suffered an ankle injury during Bayern’s Bundesliga draw with German champions Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
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