FootyChatter.com

24 min: Mc Ginn seeks Watkins, forever running down those narrow channels of his. Juve are wise to those, just as they are to a Mc Ginn shot that’s blocked. 22 min: Both teams going at it now. Juve opening up a bit but still yet to get a proper shot on goal. Yildiz and Locatelli link. Concecaio’s cross misses everyone. 21 min: Joe Pearson gets in touch: “This month I’ve been on a 50 year retrospective and listening to albums released in November 1974. Today has been ‘Relayer’ by Yes and ‘Autobahn’ by Kraftwerk. Currently streaming Roxy Music’s ‘Country Life’, seems like as good a choice as any. What are your favorites from November ‘74? ” Big fan of Kraftwerk, seen them live four times, I think. Let’s see: Perfect Angel by Minnie Ripperton, Diamond Dogs. Red by King Crimson (very influential on American rock), Pretzel Logic (Rikki), and, most of all, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight by Linda Thompson and Richard Thompson. Thommo is the best English guitarist there is, and perhaps has ever been. 20 min: Danger from Yildiz, that other Juve danger man, so good during the Euros. He cuts in and drags back across himself. 17 min: A Locatelli foul, and Villa have a set piece. Tielemans will take. No, Digne will take, and the Juve wall holds firm. All Villa now. Rogers almost gets to turn in the box but a handball is given. 15 min: Villa are pushing on, pushing up, and Juventus are beginning to look unsettled. Villa have much more zip than their opponents. 14 min: Bailey’s cross is low, but Pau Torres stoops and hits the bar. Nice improv from Villa. 13 min: Watkins goes on a run but has to settle for a corner. 12 min: Yildiz fouled, by Bailey, not long after Tielemans is booked for fouling Conceicao. Bailey is also booked and the Spanish ref is barracked by the home fans. 10 min: But here’s Watkins, the ball pinged long and accurately, and his control is decent but not perfect. 9 min: Slow stuff as Diego Carlos and Martinez piddle around at the back. No Juve pressure. It’s not been a classic so far. 7 min: This is edgy, both teams settling into their shape, looking to hit the other with a wildcat attack. 6 min: Conceicao is knocked over by Rodgers. That wasn’t a fair fight, even if the Portuguese winger did make the most of it. 5 min: First Villa attack, countering at speed. Leon Bailey shoots when others were streaming forward. Watkins had zipped on. 4 min: Villa, of course, will look to press and trigger the counter. They seem happy for Juve to dominate possession. Francisco Conceicao is to the fore, and he’s shown his danger in this competition. 3 min: Juve attempt an old-style approach of passing the ball around and taking the steam out of the home fans. They’re a team used to passing the ball around under Motta. 1 min: Juventus here for the taking? Only four outfield players on the bench tells the story. No no 9 for them, either. Tim Weah will be asked to be versatile. The home fans sing along with the Champions League anthem, singing “The Champions” at the end. No booing of the anthem here. Not even when it stops them playing Crazy Train instead. Incredible noise greeting Juventus. Hell of a noise at the Villa, where the teams are palling up in the tunnel. Lights and music and fireworks. Villa Park – underrated ground. Superb setting for football. Other football news. Give it Phil Brown till the end of the season. A pair of stats, via Sky. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has beaten Juventus twice before in the UEFA Champions League, winning with Sevilla in 2015 and Villarreal in 2022. No manager has ever beaten Juve with three different teams in the competition. Juventus have only won three of their last 15 away matches against English sides in European competition (D3 L9), while this will be their first such trip since losing 0-4 to Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League in November 2021. A famous name, a famous father, especially for Juventus. Jonny Liew spoke to Khéphren Thuram Juventus are unbeaten under Motta, with the best defensive record in Serie A. Things haven’t yet quite clicked at the other end, but early in the project the direction of travel feels encouraging and Thuram has established himself as a key player in midfield: tactically disciplined, defensively solid, but with the licence to get into the final third and create. For Villa, Jhon Duran is on the bench as Unai Emery makes three changes to the side from Palace. In come Matty Cash, Lucas Digne and Boubacar Kamara while Ross Barkley, Ian Maatsen and Lamare Bogarde are benched. Juve have been hit by injuries. Vlahovic and Luiz missing while Tim Weah steps in for the injured Weston Mc Kennie, USA for USA. Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Diego Carlos, Torres, Digne, Kamara, Tielemans, Bailey, Rogers, Mc Ginn, Watkins. Subs: Gauci, Olsen, Konsa, Mings, Barkley, Duran, Buendia, Philogene-Bidace, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Bogarde. Juventus: Di Gregorio, Savona, Gatti, Kalulu Kyatengwa, Cambiaso, Locatelli, Thuram, Weah, Francisco Conceicao, Yildiz, Koopmeiners. Subs: Perin, Pinsoglio, Danilo, Fagioli, Rouhi, Mbangula. For Juve, Dusan Vlahović and ex-Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz are out. Villa are missing Amadou Onana, signed as Luiz’s replacement. Here’s the squads, via Uefa. Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Barkley, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Mc Ginn; Watkins Out: Onana (foot), Ramsey (hamstring)Doubtful: Kamara (hamstring), Konsa (hip)Misses next match if booked: Durán, Diego Carlos Juventus: Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Francisco Conceição, Koopmeiners, Kenan Yıldız; Weah Out: Adžić (unspecified), Bremer (knee), Cabal (knee), Douglas Luiz (muscular), Mc Kennie (muscular), Milik (knee), Nico González (muscular), Vlahović (muscular)Doubtful: noneMisses next match if booked: none It’s about this time that both teams need to think about how many points they need to escape this chess ladder to qualify and/or miss the play-offs. Unai Emery spoke to reporters in his press conference on Tuesday: “They are very strong defensively, not only with the ball but also without it. They are building a team, trying to keep consistency and dominating matches with the ball. “It will be a very important three points but even if we don’t win, taking one point is good because in the table we are in the top eight positions. We want to be in the next round and tomorrow if we win maybe we can be a contender to get it. ” Thiago Motta, the Juve coach, approves of the new Champions League format: “I like the new format because we face different teams each games, so the preparation is always different. It’s an extra opportunity to grow and improve, to test our level. We face a team that is strong in counterattacks. We must be focused in our defensive work and not leave spaces for them to attack in midfield. ” First place to start, of course, is this fine piece by Rob Smyth. The pace of the game was ferocious, but most of the decisive moments involved players who had their bodies in the oven and their brains in the fridge. In the 51st minute, after a flurry of tackles in the inside-right channel, Gordon Cowans calmly danced away from Massimo Bonini and curved the ball out to the left-back, Gibson. He looked, as Villa always did, for the abundant head of Peter Withe at the far post, but the ball did not reach him. Cowans arrived late in the box and planted a joyous flying header past Dino Zoff. Aston Villa seek to relive the golden days of 1982, and also those in more recent memories. Villa have rather run aground. Their last win came over a month ago, on 22 October, in beating Bologna. Villa are riding high in the Champions League still, though that defeat to Club Brugge was punishing enough. Drawing with Crystal Palace stopped the rot of four losses, but now come Juventus, sixth in Serie A, though still unbeaten under Thiago Motta. They’re two points behind in a mega-table, as they attempt to revive the Old Lady. So, while memories will be relived, this game means much in the present day. Kick-off at 8pm. Join me.