After storming through their first three Champions League fixtures, Aston Villa aim to extend a perfect start when they visit Club Brugge on Wednesday.
Jan Breydelstadion will host the teams' first meeting, with Villa riding high in the table on maximum points and the Belgian champions languishing outside the playoff places.
Match preview
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One of only two teams to pick up nine points from the first three matchdays, alongside Premier League rivals Liverpool, Aston Villa's start is all the more remarkable due to being one of five clubs making their Champions League debut.
Since the European Cup was radically remodelled by UEFA in the early 1990s, only three sides have won their first four matches: AC Milan in 1993, Paris Saint-Germain in 1994 and Juventus in 1995, while none did so with a clean sheet on each occasion.
Unai Emery's men could achieve that feat, as they are yet to concede a goal after defeating Young Boys 3-0 in their opener, before memorably beating Bayern Munich 1-0 at Villa Park, and then claiming a relatively comfortable victory last time out.
Second-half strikes from captain John McGinn and red-hot striker Jhon Duran secured a 2-0 success against Bologna in Birmingham, as Emery's longstanding mastery of European football continued.
Results on the domestic scene have recently dipped, though, as Sunday's 4-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur dropped Villa down to sixth place in the Premier League table.
In addition to taking one point from two top-flight matches since beating Bologna, Duran's goal was not enough to prevent the Villans losing 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup, so they will be keen to get straight back on track.
Having excelled on their travels all season long, winning five and losing just one of seven away matches across all competitions, they can hit the road fully confident of collecting more points in Belgium.
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History will not be on Club Brugge's side when playing host to Aston Villa for the very first time, as their winless run against English opposition stretches back 14 matches - of which they have lost 11 - while shipping no fewer than 14 goals in the last three.
The Belgian side have already conceded six in this term's Champions League, losing 3-0 at home to Borussia Dortmund and 3-1 against AC Milan at San Siro, either side of a 1-0 victory over Sturm Graz.
Like Villa, Club Brugge took part in the Conference League last season, coming through three qualifying rounds before finishing first in their group and ultimately reaching the semi-finals; but life amid Europe's elite has proved more challenging.
European Cup runners-up to Liverpool back in 1978, the Blauw-Zwart have more recently won just three of their last 21 home matches in the Champions League proper, losing each of the last three while failing to score.
After claiming the club's fourth domestic title in five years, Nicky Hayen's side have started their defence well enough, though they trail Pro League pace-setters Genk by seven points after 13 matches.
Having just beaten old foes Anderlecht and then mid-table OH Leuven, Club Brugge have now won four of their last five games in all competitions - and that defeat in Milan is their sole setback in eight.
Team News
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Once again, Unai Emery faces a welcome dilemma relating to his starting striker, as Ollie Watkins is Aston Villa's leading Premier League scorer on five goals, one more than Jhon Duran, whose four have all come as a substitute.
However, Colombia international Duran scored the winner against Bayern, started versus Bologna, and has racked up eight goals across all competitions.
After welcoming Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara back from long-term knee injuries, Villa's only absentees are Matty Cash and Ross Barkley, the latter of whom missed the trip to Spurs and may be ruled out until after the international break.
With Barkley unavailable and Kamara still working his way back to peak fitness, ex-Anderlecht duo Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana should run the visitors' engine room in Bruges.
Meanwhile, the hosts' chief concern regards Gustaf Nilsson, who recently returned from a calf injury - scoring five minutes his introduction as a substitute - but subsequently sat out the weekend win in Leuven.
Raphael Onyedika was sent off at San Siro, so he must serve a one-match ban, possibly offering Hugo Vetlesen a rare chance to start.
Either Romeo Vermant or Ferran Jutgla is expected to feature up front, while captain Hans Vanaken starts in midfield and veteran goalkeeper Simon Mignolet provides Club Brugge's last line of defence.
Club Brugge possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Seys, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Jashari, Vetlesen; Skov Olsen, Vanaken, Tzolis; Vermant
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Ramsey; Duran
We say: Club Brugge 1-2 Aston Villa
Across Club Brugge's last 15 Champions League matches, they have either conceded at least two goals or kept a clean sheet - managing to do the latter on six occasions.
It may be asking too much to keep Aston Villa's attack at bay for 90 minutes, though, and the hosts are set to suffer another defeat.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
