Club Brugge vs Aston Villa l kicks off on 8 Sept 2026 at 12:45 EST and 17:45 GMT.
Match preview
The Champions League league phase gets underway with Club Brugge hosting last season's Europa League winners Aston Villa.
Improving Brugge will test a troubled Villa
Club Brugge are making a new Belgian record 13th appearance in the group/league phase of the UCL after storming to the domestic title last term. They've won four of five league matches this term, and have reached the knockouts of the UCL in each of their last three participations, so confidence will be high.
Winning the Europa League in May was a huge moment for Villa and manager Unai Emery, but their latest domestic campaign has started turbulently. They've lost key players Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Ezri Konsa to Premier League rivals and failed to score in their first three EPL matches this term. Under Emery, Villa have been excellent in UEFA competitions though, losing just three of their last 21 group/league phase games (W16, D2) while winning eight of their 12 matches in the UCL under the Spaniard.
Getty ImagesKey stats & injury news
- Club Brugge’s last 15 UCL games featured over 2.5 goals.
- Since the start of the 2024-25 UCL, only Barcelona (44) have conceded more goals than Club Brugge (43).
- Villa have kept nine clean sheets in their last 16 European matches.
- New Villa signing Johan Manzambi and long-term absentee Amadou Onana remain on the sidelines, but Joao Gomes can play in the Champions League amid a three-match domestic suspension.
- Villa striker Nicolas Jackson was involved in five goals in ten UCL appearances for Bayern last term (G3, A2).
Getty ImagesLikely XIs
Brugge (4231): Sommer; Sabbe, Mechele, Lee, Seys; Potts, Vanaken; Forbs, Vetlesen, Diakhon; Tresoldi.
Villa (4231): Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Gomes; McGinn, Buendía, Hemmings; Jackson.
Team news & squads
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Probable lineups
Club Brugge are managed by Ivan Leko, though no confirmed injury or suspension information is currently available for the home side. No probable lineup has been confirmed ahead of the match, and further updates are expected closer to kick-off.
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has also not confirmed a projected XI, with no injuries or suspensions listed in the latest available data. Team news for both sides will be updated as information becomes available.
Form
Club Brugge have won three and lost two of their last five matches across all competitions. Their most recent outing ended in a 2-1 defeat to Gent in the Belgian First Division A on August 30. Prior to that, Brugge beat Cercle Brugge 1-0 and won 3-0 away at OH Leuven, with a 3-0 home victory against Kortrijk also in that run. Their only other defeat came against Union St. Gilloise in the Belgian Super Cup, finishing 1-1 before losing on penalties. Across the five matches, Brugge scored eight goals and conceded five.
Aston Villa have lost all five of their most recent matches. Their last outing was a 1-0 Premier League defeat to Arsenal on August 31. Before that, Villa were beaten 4-0 by Brighton, lost 2-1 to Borussia Moenchengladbach in a friendly, fell 2-1 to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup, and lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich in pre-season. Villa have scored three goals and conceded ten across those five fixtures.
Head-to-Head Record
Head to Head
The most recent meeting between these sides came on March 12, 2025, when Aston Villa beat Club Brugge 3-0 in the Champions League at Villa Park. Before that, Villa also won the reverse fixture 3-1 at the Jan Breydel Stadion on March 4, 2025. The only previous meeting in the dataset saw Club Brugge defeat Aston Villa 1-0 at home in the Champions League on November 6, 2024. Across the three recorded meetings, Aston Villa hold two wins to Club Brugge's one, with Villa scoring six goals to Brugge's two.
Standings
| # | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | PTS | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
In the Champions League standings, both Club Brugge and Aston Villa are currently listed in first position.