Aston Villa's Champions League Challenge: Pressure on Emery
Aston Villa return to the Champions League on Tuesday with the glow of last season’s European triumph already starting to fade and the sharp edges of a difficult new campaign cutting through the optimism.
They go to Club Brugge still hunting their first win of 2026-27, after losing the UEFA Super Cup and scraping just one point from three Premier League games. For a team that conquered Europe in the spring, the stumble into autumn feels jarring.
Emery under the microscope
Unai Emery built his reputation on nights like this. European away days, tactical traps, knockout tension. Yet as Villa prepare for a third trip to Bruges in two years, the Basque coach finds himself facing questions he rarely hears on the continent.
His decision to leave Brian Madjo and Taylor Harwood-Bellis out of the league-phase squad has not gone down well. Madjo, in particular, is a flashpoint: the forward scored twice against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup and looked ready to become Villa’s next big European weapon. Now he is both omitted and unavailable, joining Swiss World Cup standout Johan Manzambi and long-term absentee Amadou Onana on the treatment table.
The criticism is unusual for Emery, but so is Villa’s early-season rhythm. The control that defined their run to European glory has given way to uncertainty, selection puzzles and the sense of a squad still trying to remember what it is.
Suspensions, returns and big calls
There is some relief. Joao Gomes, banned domestically for three matches, is free to step back into the European arena and should stiffen Villa’s midfield. His bite and energy may be crucial in a game that could quickly turn hostile if the visitors start slowly again.
Emery also has the option to unleash more of his summer business. Leon Goretzka, still waiting for his first minutes in claret and blue, could finally make his debut from the bench. Ibrahim Mbaye, the former PSG winger, is pushing hard for a starting role, his pace and direct running offering something different on the flank.
If Mbaye does come in, someone has to give way. That likely means either rookie forward George Hemmings or busy creator Emi Buendia dropping out, a choice that would say plenty about how Emery wants to attack this tie: raw speed and space, or intricate combinations between the lines.
Up front, the picture is just as stark. Record signing Nicolas Jackson is expected to lead the line again. He has not yet convinced, but with Madjo injured and Tammy Abraham apparently out of favour, the path is clear. Jackson must deliver, or Villa risk another European night where their build-up play outshines their finishing.
Behind him, Zion Suzuki, the new number one, is also set to start. His early weeks at the club have been watched closely, every touch weighed against the expectations that come with the shirt and the price tag.
Old scars in Bruges
The full-back battle adds another layer. Matteo Ruggeri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are both straining to dislodge Matty Cash and Ian Maatsen. Cash’s experience and Maatsen’s attacking threat give them the edge for now, with the Dutchman carrying happy memories of this fixture after scoring against Brugge at Villa Park in March 2025.
But Bruges also holds a darker memory. On Villa’s first visit there that same season, a major error from Tyrone Mings helped the hosts to a 1-0 win. That mistake still lingers in the background as Emery weighs up whether to keep faith with him or turn instead to Pau Torres at the heart of defence.
There is no hiding place in these decisions. Every selection feels loaded, every omission a statement.
How Villa could line up
Emery is expected to go with something close to his strongest available side, shaped by suspension, injuries and those big summer moves:
Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Gomes; McGinn, Buendia, Hemmings; Jackson.
It is a team built to control the ball, to press high, to look like the Aston Villa that stormed through Europe last season rather than the hesitant version that has stumbled through August.
Now comes the question that will define the early tone of their campaign: is this just a slow start after a summer of upheaval, or the first sign that last season’s high-water mark will be hard to touch again?
