Champions League: What to expect from Aston Villa?

Can Aston Villa (right) make a miracle against PSG? - Photo: Reuters

For Dortmund, all their hopes were ended with a 0-4 loss from the first leg. Aston Villa still had hope with a 1-3 loss.

PSG cannot be subjective

A two-goal lead is a huge advantage in the Champions League, especially from the quarter-finals onwards, when teams at this stage focus on playing tight defense. However, PSG fans can never rest assured when their team is in danger of being reversed.

PSG have made three comebacks in the history of the Champions League, all as underdogs. When they were two goals up, they were upset by Chelsea in 2013-14 (losing 0-2 after winning 3-1 in the first leg), and by Man United in 2018-19 (losing 1-3 after winning 2-0 in the first leg).

Worse still, PSG remains the only team to have come from four goals down in the first leg to lose the last 16 in 2016-17 against Barca (losing 1-6 after winning 4-0) - a humiliation that will forever be etched in football history.

PSG have always been victims of the away goals rule. Against Chelsea in 2014, PSG won 3-1 at home and lost 0-2 away. Against Man United in 2019, they lost 1-3 at home after winning 2-0 away.

The away goals rule has been scrapped by UEFA in recent years, which is why games are now more open, with the home team taking the initiative from the first leg. PSG, for example, played a blistering attack against Aston Villa without being afraid to concede.

PSG were rewarded with a late Nuno Mendes goal to win 3-1, a deserved result for a team that had 29 shots and 25 dribbles throughout the game.

Barcelona will meet Dortmund at 2am on April 16 - Photo: Reuters

Waiting for coach Unai Emery to show his talent

But it should be noted that the three teams that came back from behind against PSG are all giants of European football. Even Man United in the 2017-2018 season still had many stars in their squad. Aston Villa is currently considered a "dark horse" of the tournament. When a "dark horse" loses by 2 goals in the first leg, their chances are clearly very low.

Sportsmole's computer data puts the chance of Aston Villa winning by two goals in the second leg (the minimum requirement to hope to advance) at just 10%. This is an understandable result, as Aston Villa are not known for their attacking style of play.

They often work wonders against big teams with their defensive counter-attacking style. On the contrary, when Aston Villa are under pressure to push forward, PSG can score more goals.

Bookmakers still rank PSG as the "overdog" team in this match, and the most likely score according to Sportsmole data is 2-1 in favor of PSG.

But the Champions League always has its earthquakes. Coach Unai Emery is always called the "king of cup competitions", with an impressive ability to handle the most difficult situations.

In addition, Aston Villa's current attack is also very strong with Watkins, Rashford, Asensio and Malen - A-list stars of European football. On a beautiful day, with a reckless style of play with nothing to lose, who knows, PSG will receive another unbelievable comeback from Aston Villa.

Barca will rest

As for Barca, they have already secured their ticket to the next round after winning 4-0 in the first leg. Dortmund is not the type of team that can make a miracle.

Therefore, the return match will be an opportunity for coach Hansi Flick to rest his players, who are already exhausted after the recent "mountain climbing" period. After the international break, Barca had to play 6 matches in 17 days. Some stars like Yamal had to work almost without a minute of rest during that time.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/champions-league-trong-cho-gi-o-aston-villa-20250414230548576.htm