Young Boys vs Aston Villa predictions: Villa set for lively Champions League opener
- Young Boys have conceded 14 goals in six Swiss Super League games this term
- Five of Aston Villa's last eight Premier League matches featured over 3.5 goals
- Recommended bet: Over 3.5 goals
Aston Villa kick off their eagerly-awaited Champions League campaign with a trip to Switzerland to face Young Boys on Tuesday.
Unai Emery's men are favourites to claim three points, having finished fourth in the Premier League last season and started 2024-25 with three dramatic wins from four matches.
Young Boys beat a star-studded Galatasaray side 4-2 on aggregate in the Champions League play-off round, but they have made a poor start to their Super League title defence, taking only three points from six games.
Team news
Young Boys are set to be without defenders Saidy Janko and Patric Pfeiffer, midfielder Lukasz Lakomy and striker Facinet Conte.
Tanguy Zoukrou is available despite serving a domestic suspension.
Aston Villa are missing the injured Matty Cash, but Emi Buendia has returned to action and Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings are back in training.
Winger Leon Bailey will be assessed after missing the weekend win over Everton.
The stats
Both teams have scored in five of Young Boys' six Super League matches this season, while they have conceded 14 goals in those six games.
The Swiss side beat Galatasaray in both legs of their play-off tie, scoring the winning goals in the 86th and 87th minutes.
Five of Aston Villa's last eight away league wins were by a 2-1 scoreline and five of their last eight Premier League matches have featured over 3.5 goals.
Villans forward Jhon Duran has scored in all three of their league victories this season.
Prediction
Swiss champions Young Boys beat a Galatasaray side featuring Mauro Icardi, Dries Mertens, Hakim Ziyech and Michy Batshuayi to seal their place in the new-look Champions League proper.
Their 3-2 home win was followed by a 1-0 second-leg victory in Turkey, but Young Boys have failed to hit the heights in the Swiss Super League this term.
They are bottom of the table after six rounds of matches, losing their first three games before 2-2 draws with FC Zurich and Yverdon Sport and a 1-1 with Lausanne at the end of August.
Young Boys have conceded 14 goals in those six league matches and that tally points to a bet on over 3.5 goals when they host Aston Villa.
Unai Emery's side have won three of their first four Premier League games, beating West Ham and Leicester 2-1 and coming from two goals down to see off Everton 3-2 last Saturday.
Villa were also beaten 2-0 at home by Arsenal and they conceded 11 goals in their final four league games of 2023-24 so defensive improvement is clearly a priority for Emery.
While Young Boys are struggling in the league, they have won their first two Swiss Cup ties by 10-0 and 4-2 scorelines.
But their defence may well buckle against an attacking unit led by England forward Ollie Watkins, who scored twice against Everton, and a high-scoring contest is on the cards.
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