Aston Villa's Champions League Challenge: Pressure on Unai Emery
Aston Villa’s long-awaited return to the Champions League comes with a sting in the air rather than a glow.
Last season ended in European glory. This one has opened with a jolt. Defeat in the UEFA Super Cup, just one point from three Premier League games, and now a trip to Club Brugge on Tuesday with Unai Emery already fending off awkward questions.
Emery under scrutiny
Emery has built his reputation on European nights. He usually owns these stages. This time, though, his selection calls have raised eyebrows.
The omission of Brian Madjo and Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Villa’s league-phase squad has not gone down quietly. Madjo, remember, scored twice against Paris Saint-Germain in that Super Cup defeat and looked like a man built for this competition. Harwood-Bellis arrived in the summer with expectations of becoming a core part of the back line.
Neither can help in Europe now. And in Madjo’s case, he could not play anyway. The forward is unavailable, joining Swiss World Cup standout Johan Manzambi and long-term absentee Amadou Onana on the treatment table. For a squad already searching for rhythm, those are heavy absences.
Suspensions, returns and a reshaped XI
There is at least one silver lining for Emery. Joao Gomes, currently serving a three-match domestic suspension, is free to step back into the side on the continent. His energy and bite in midfield will be vital in a stadium that rarely grants visiting teams a quiet night.
Emery may also use Bruges as a platform to drip-feed some of his new signings into the European spotlight. Leon Goretzka, still waiting to pull on Villa’s claret and blue in a competitive game, could finally emerge from the bench. The German’s experience at this level is exactly the sort of ballast Villa lacked in their early-season stumbles.
Out wide, former PSG winger Ibrahim Mbaye is pushing hard for a start. If he gets the nod, it will come at a cost for one of the current attacking options. Either rookie forward George Hemmings or busy playmaker Emi Buendia would likely have to give way, with Emery weighing raw spark against control between the lines.
Up front, the picture is clear, even if the form is not. Record signing Nicolas Jackson is expected to lead the line. He has yet to convince, but with Madjo sidelined and Tammy Abraham seemingly out of Emery’s plans, the path is open for Jackson to prove why the club invested so heavily in him.
Behind him, new number one Zion Suzuki should continue in goal. The Japanese keeper has been handed the gloves as part of the summer reset and will be asked to bring calm to a defence that has already felt the strain this season.
Defensive questions and Bruges scars
Full-back remains a live contest. Matteo Ruggeri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are both pushing to dislodge Matty Cash and Ian Maatsen. Maatsen, of course, has fond memories of this fixture; he scored against Brugge at Villa Park in March 2025, a reminder of what he can offer going forward. Emery must decide whether to lean on that history or refresh both flanks in search of greater solidity.
At centre-back, there is unfinished business in Bruges. On Villa’s first visit to the city in that 2024-25 campaign, Tyrone Mings made a costly error that helped the hosts to a 1-0 win. That moment has not been forgotten. Now the question is whether Emery trusts Mings again on this stage or turns instead to Pau Torres, whose passing range offers a different route out from the back.
The margins will be fine, and Emery knows it. A slow domestic start can be excused if Europe brings a spark. Another flat performance, another misstep in a city that already carries scars for this squad, would deepen the sense of unease around a project that was supposed to be gathering pace, not stalling.
How Villa could line up
Aston Villa possible starting XI:
Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Gomes; McGinn, Buendia, Hemmings; Jackson.
For a club stepping back into the Champions League spotlight, this feels less like a celebration and more like a test of nerve. The stage is set in Bruges. Now Villa have to show they still belong on it.
