Champions League: Birmingham Beckons for Kompany’s Bayern

Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich

Bundesliga favourites Bayern Munich are back in European action on Wednesday when they head to the West Midlands of England to face upwardly mobile Aston Villa.

Vincent Kompany has made a headline grabbing start as boss of FC Bayern, currently top of the Bundesliga, scoring 17 goals in five games, and Unai Emery has transformed the Villains since taking over as head coach in 2023, making them a force to be reckoned with at home and in European competition.   

And that’s what makes Champions League: Aston Villa vs FC Bayern such a compelling fixture. Both clubs opened up their European campaigns with a win, Vincent Kompany’s men slaughtering Dynamo Zagreb 9-2 while Villa dismantled Young Boys 3-0 in Bern.

Villa are keen to make the most of their Premier League top-four finish and give their fans something else to be proud about; and they face one of the toughest challenges of Emery’s reign so far. Bayern are the joint third favourites to win the tournament at odds of 10.00, level with Arsenal and behind the Big Two of Manchester City and Real Madrid; and the Aston Villa vs FC Bayern betting odds make the Bavarians odds on to win this clash. 

While Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw by Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend, Villa also picked up a point in a 2-2 draw away to Ipswich Town and both teams will be keen to earn another positive result on Wednesday. 

 

Talking Points

Villa are learning to balance priorities  

Aston Villa made the perfect start to their Champions League campaign, hammering Young Boys on their return to the European elite after a 41 year absence. So Emery is unlikely to let this chance slip, while keeping his focus on the Premier League where they have another good opportunity to finish in the top four. Villa went to Ipswich on Sunday to face the winless Tractor Boys and with a chance to climb to second in the table; though Kieran McKenna’s side had drawn three on the bounce. And, in the event, Emery’s men looked a little under par, perhaps with one eye on Wednesday’s meeting with Bayern.

Two goals from Ipswich’s Liam Delap denied them three points while Morgan Rogers, with his first goal of the season, and Ollie Watkins scored for Villa. England star Watkins has been the third most productive player in the league since the arrival of Emery, after Erling Braut Haaland and Mo Salah; and he’s sure to be a big player again this term.   

The Opta stats say 16 points from eight games in the new format should be enough to reach the top eight and automatic qualification for the Champions League knockouts while ten will almost certainly guarantee a top 24 place and a play-off chance. Villa are aiming high in Europe, but they also need to keep pushing at the top of the Premier League.  

 

Kane doubt for FC Bayern

The big Aston Villa vs FC Bayern news concerns the availability of the Bavarians’ star striker and a man who broke scoring records at will during his long career in the Premier League. With over 400 goals for club and country Harry Kane is Spurs’ and England’s top scorer of all time. And since leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Munich last summer Kane has made plenty of headlines in Germany, joining the first Bayern team to fail to win a trophy in over a decade, while putting in a stellar campaign himself. He scored 36 goals in his first Bundesliga campaign and won his first ever European Golden Shoe.

So the anticipation of his return to England has been filled with excitement and maybe a little dread if you are of the Claret and Blue persuasion. Kane scored two in his Champions League debut for Bayern but there is a serious concern over his fitness after he limped off towards the end of the 1-1 draw with Leverkusen, suffering an ankle injury. The England captain has been dogged by ankle niggles in recent years and this is a concern for a side which struggled to break Leverkusen down.

Reports from the club say Kane’s injury may not be as bad as first feared and the player himself is reported to be hopeful of a quick return; though Villa fans will pray it’s not too quick!

 

History

These two teams have never encountered each other before so we don’t have much to look at, other than early season form.

Both teams have won five and drawn one of the last six games and the Bavarians are unbeaten in 12, and have won their last four games on the road…will they make it five from five?  

 

Betting Tip

I just don’t fancy Kompany’s Bayern at odds of 1.76 to win away at one of the Premier League’s best sides. With Aston Villa at 3.57 and the draw at 3.59 there are plenty of good options for the neutrals; and this is an interesting game to call.

Both teams have serious domestic ambitions and the Champions League, in its new format, is a long haul. The Bavarians will be very confident of making the knockout phase and the Villains too will expect to progress. But I think the incentive for this game is greater for the hosts, on a floodlit night in front of their own fans; Emery’s team will want to gather as many points as they can in their early fixtures, to take the pressure off as a long winter approaches…and they have the quality to hurt any team.  

   

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