On the eve of facing Aston Villa in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen wants his team to put on a great performance, knowing that it will be tough to beat the English side in Birmingham.
"Aston Villa are very strong at home, statistically speaking," Hayen stated. "We know we need to gain the advantage tomorrow. It will be up to the opponent to come back in the return leg. This is what we saw in the play-offs against Atalanta."
The Bruges manager also has confidence in his players, who are particularly motivated in European competitions. "We prepare for each match in the same way, but for these Champions League matches, there is automatically huge motivation for everyone."
Club Brugge players celebrate after winning a football game between Atalanta, on Tuesday 18 February 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. Credit: Belga
This will be the second time this season that Club Brugge and Aston Villa meet, having faced each other on the fourth match day of the group stage on November 6th.
The Blauw en Zwart won 1-0 at home, but the English club has since strengthened its squad with the winter signings of Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Donyell Malen.
"They certainly have more individual quality now," Hayen observed. "But as a team, they play in the same way. They show a lot of intensity and always aim to play forward. That hasn’t changed. We focus on the collective play of the opponent, not on certain individuals."
