Matchday two of the Europa League sees Aston Villa head to Rotterdam to take on Feyenoord. A return to Stadion Feijenoord or more commonly known as the De Kuip Stadium, where Villa lifted the 1982 European Cup in a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich. They will be looking for their third win in a row, which is quit ea stark contrast to how they started the season.
Team News
Feyenoord:
- Sem Steijn is expected to return
- Quinten Timber, Malcolm Jeng, Gernot Trauner and Jakub Moder are all unavailable
Aston Villa:
- Tyrone Mings is ruled out for the next two matches due to an ankle injury
- John McGinn has travelled despite picking up a knock against Fulham
- Jadon Sancho, Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana and Andres Garcia are also ruled out
Feyenoord Overview
Feyenoord have enjoyed a fantastic unbeaten start to the Eredivisie, currently sitting at the top of the table with nineteen points after seven games, with six wins and one draw. Japanese striker Ayase Ueda, has been in superb form, scoring six goals in seven matches and is the league's top scorer. Captain Sem Steijn has also started the season well, chipping in with three goals and an assist in six league matches. He joined Feyenoord in the summer on the back of an incredible season at FC Twente, where he finished as top scorer in the Eredivisie, with twenty-four goals in thirty-five matches.
Although they have had an excellent start to the league, Robin van Persie's side were beaten 1-0 by Braga in their first match of the Europa League last week. A lack of creativity was evident, as they only had five shots with one on target. Van Persie's rotated team wasn't good enough to compete with the Portuguese club, with the Dutchman perhaps underestimating his opponents.
Predicted Lineup: Wellenreuther, Nieuwkoop, Watanabe, Ahmedhodzic, Bros, Valente, Steijn, Targhalline, Hadj Moussa, Ueda, Sauer
Aston Villa Overview
Villa got their first win in the Premier League last Sunday, in a 3-1 win over Fulham at Villa Park. Despite conceding in the first three minutes, the Villans grew into the game, exploiting Fulham's weakness with long balls over the top, which saw Ollie Watkins get his first goal of the season. The substitution of Emi Buendía at half-time made a huge impact on the game, with the Argentinian picking up a goal and an assist to help Villa secure the three points.
It's clear Villa are gradually improving with each match they play and Unai Emery will be hoping that will continue against Feyenoord. Having beaten Bologna in their first Europa League game at home, an away fixture will be a true test to see how much improvement they have made. Watkins' goal will give him the confidence to go on a scoring streak and if Morgan Rogers can play himself into form, then Villa may start firing on all cylinders.
Predicted Lineup: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Pau, Maatsen, McGinn, Kamara, Guessand, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins
