Aston Villa start their eagerly anticipated Champions League journey with a visit to Switzerland to play against Young Boys on Tuesday.
Unai Emery's team are the expected winners, finishing fourth in the Premier League last season and starting the 2024-25 season with three thrilling wins out of four matches.
Young Boys defeated a strong Galatasaray team 4-2 in the Champions League play-off round, but they have had a rough start defending their Super League title, only managing three points from six games.
Team news
Young Boys will be missing defenders Saidy Janko and Patric Pfeiffer, midfielder Lukasz Lakomy, and striker Facinet Conte.
Tanguy Zoukrou is eligible to play despite serving a suspension.
Aston Villa will not have Matty Cash due to injury, but Emi Buendia has returned, and Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings are back in training.
Winger Leon Bailey's availability will be determined after missing the win against Everton over the weekend.
The statistics
Young Boys have had both teams score in five of their six Super League matches this season, and they have conceded 14 goals in those six games.
The Swiss team defeated Galatasaray in both legs of the play-off tie, with winning goals scored in the 86th and 87th minutes.
Five of Aston Villa's last eight away wins were by a 2-1 score, and five of their last eight Premier League matches had over 3.5 goals.
Jhon Duran from Villans has scored in all three of their league wins this season.
Prediction
Swiss champions Young Boys overcame a strong Galatasaray team, including Mauro Icardi, Dries Mertens, Hakim Ziyech, and Michy Batshuayi, to secure their place in the Champions League.
Even though they clinched a 3-2 home victory and a 1-0 win in the second leg in Turkey, Young Boys have struggled in the Swiss Super League.
After six rounds, they are bottom of the standings, losing their first three games and having two draws and a defeat in the following matches in August.
With a total of 14 goals conceded in the league, a bet on over 3.5 goals when facing Aston Villa seems likely.
Emery's squad has won three out of their first four Premier League games, including victories over West Ham and Leicester and a comeback win against Everton.
Villa's defensive woes have been evident, conceding 11 goals in their last four games of the previous season.
Although struggling in the league, Young Boys have had convincing wins in the Swiss Cup.
Against Villa's attacking lineup, led by Ollie Watkins, a high-scoring game is anticipated.