Rewinding back to the 1982 European Cup final, Aston Villa and Bayern Munich are set to clash over 42 years later in this season’s Champions League, with the German powerhouse traveling to Villa Park on Wednesday.
Both teams secured dominant victories in their first league-phase matches on the opening matchday, as Villa netted thrice in Switzerland and Bayern demolished Dinamo Zagreb with a stunning nine goals.
Looking ahead to the upcoming match, the Villans fought back from a slow start to defeat Young Boys in Bern, with Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey, and Amadou Onana all getting on the scoresheet to secure a convincing win.
The weekend saw Villa on course for a seventh win in eight matches and a potential second-place spot in the league table, but a 2-1 lead slipped away as they settled for a draw against newly promoted Ipswich Town, leaving them in fifth place.
Under the guidance of Unai Emery, Villa have enjoyed a remarkable rise in the domestic scene and showcased their prowess by winning their first six home fixtures en route to last season’s Conference League semi-finals, marking their return to UEFA competition after a 13-year absence.
Emery, a proven master in European competition, boasts victories over Bayern Munich on two occasions but has suffered three defeats in his 20 group stage matches in the Champions League, one of which came against Bayern in 2017 during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.
Moving on to team news, Bayern stands alone as the only team to score nine times in a single Champions League match, setting a record with 19 shots on target in their 9-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb, with Harry Kane notching four goals.
The Bavarian giants, led by manager Vincent Kompany, have already scored 30 goals in their first seven matches of the 2024-25 season, including a standout performance in the Champions League.
Despite a 1-1 draw against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, recent results have instilled confidence that the Meisterschale trophy will be returning to Bavaria next spring, with Bayern looking to add to their six European titles by maintaining their unbeaten record of 41 group stage matches in the Champions League since September 2017.
