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Aston Villa welcome RB Salzburg to Villa Park with qualification to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) already secured.
Last week’s 1-0 win away at Fenerbahçe, followed by a 2-0 win away at Newcastle in the league, have Villa fans salivating at the possibilities this season could hold. Villa are favourites to win the UEL and sit four points off Arsenal for the Premier League title. With the momentum they have at the moment, they can make a good challenge for both titles.
Salzburg need a win and only a win. Anything less will mean that Salzburg are elimated. They lost five of their opening six UEL matches (W1), but a win last week against Basel meant that Salzburg have a slim opportunity for progression. Villa manager Unai Emery may rotate his squad as he looks to manage the load of his players ahead of another game in the league this weekend. That may allow Salzburg to snatch something here.
Aston Villa vs Salzburg key information
• Date: Thursday, January 29
• Kick-off time: 8pm GMT
• Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham
• Referee: Rohit Saggi
• VAR: Robert Schröder
• TV channels: TNT Sports (UK)
• Odds: AVL (4/9) - DRAW (7/2) - RBS (19/4)
Aston Villa team news
Whilst it was a win on the pitch at Newcastle, Villa lost one more player to injury. Youri Tielemans is set for an extended break after picking up an ankle injury during the 2-0 win. He joins John McGinn, Ross Barkley, and Boubacar Kamara, all on the injury table, as Villa’s midfield starts to look light in terms of depth.
Reinforcements have come up front, though, as Tammy Abraham has rejoined the club from Besiktas. The English striker spent the 2018/19 season with the club in the Championship, scoring 26 goals in 40 appearances. His return will provide Ollie Watkins with competition, especially now Donyel Malen has joined Roma on loan for the rest of the season.
With qualification to the round of 16 already secured, there could be a lot of changes to the squad for the arrival of Salzburg, which will see game time for many fringe players. One such person who has had a lot of conversation around him is Harvey Elliott, who has failed to have any impression on the team since his loan move from Liverpool. Yet, with the clause that Villa have to buy Elliott for £35 million if he reaches 10 appearances, it is unlikely for him to get a start since Emery has made clear that the midfielder is not part of his plans.
Aston Villa predicted lineup v Salzburg, (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Unai Emery
Bizot; Maatsen, Mings, Lindelof, Digne; Bogarde, Hemmings; Sancho, Buendia, Guessand; Watkins.
Salzburg team news
With a pretty much full squad to choose from, Salzburg come into this match fresh and ready to cause an upset. On their return from the winter break in Austria, Salzburg managed to get a 3-1 win against Basel in matchweek seven. Kerim Alajbegovic got two that day, making it four goals in his last two competitive matches.
There are a lot of players to keep an eye out for in the Salzburg team, like captain Mads Bidstrup, who pulls the strings in midfield, or Joane Gadou, a young up and comign centreback who has all the abilities to make it big in the game.
Salzburg predicted lineup v Aston Villa, (4-3-3)
Coach: Thomas Letsch
Schlager; Kratzig, Schuster, Gadou, Trummer; Bidstrup, Diabate, Kitano; Alajbegovic, Vertessen, Baidoo.
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
Aston Villa’s tie against RB Salzburg will be shown live on TNT Sports. To watch, you will need a subscription to Discovery+, which can be streamed on your smart TV, on the website, or through the app.
Head-to-head record
Aston Villa and RB Salzburg have never faced each other before in a European match. Villa have had only one previous Austrian opponent, SK Rapid, whom they played in UEFA Europa League qualifying in both 2009/10 and 2010/11. Villa lost both times.
Whilst Salzburg have lost five times in the UEL, Villa have only lost once to Go Ahead Eagles, who coincidentally are one of the two teams that Salzburg managed to beat in this year’s competition.
Salzburg's first game after their winter break was against Basel last week. Before that, the team had not played a competitive fixture in almost a month and were in varying form. Villa won in the UEL last week and won in the Premier League on the weekend, so come into this match with confidence.
Odds for Aston Villa vs RB Salzburg
Villa are favourites to win at bet365, coming in at 4/9, with a draw at 7/2 and a Salzburg win at 19/4.
Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change.