Aston Villa and Celtic lock horns in a so-called “battle of Britain” this week as the UEFA Champions League league phase comes to a conclusion.
Unai Emery’s team sit ninth in the standings heading into the final matchweek, one place outside the automatic qualifying spots for the Round of 16. Victory against the Bhoys would give them a great chance of securing a bye to the next round, although they are already assured of at least a place in the knockout playoffs.
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Celtic are also guaranteed a playoff spot but could still snatch a top-eight finish if they manage to win at Villa Park and other results go their way, making this one of the more significant games of Matchweek Eight.
Their 1-0 win over Young Boys last time out put them in a good position, but they have not won an away match in the Champions League — either in the competition proper or qualifying playoffs — since 2019.
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Aston Villa vs. Celtic lineups, confirmed starting 11, team news
Villa are without Tyrone Mings, who limped off with a knee injury in the West Ham draw after trying to play on following initial treatment. With Pau Torres also sidelined, Emery has chosen to start Lamare Bogarde at centre-back, with Lucas Digne at left-back over Ian Maatsen.
Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana are out, so Emery’s options to freshen up his midfield and attack are limited. Ollie Watkins starts ahead of Jhon Duran, who is on the bench despite speculation he is to move to Saudi Arabia.
Donyell Malen will not be eligible until the league phase is concluded, at which point clubs are permitted to add a maximum of three new players to their squads before the knockouts begin.
Aston Villa starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Martinez (GK) — Cash, Konsa, Bogarde, Digne — Tielemans, Kamara — Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey — Watkins
Aston Villa subs: Olsen, Zych, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Patterson, Swinkels, McGinn, Duran, Young
Injured: Mings (knee), Torres (ankle/foot), Barkley (calf), Onana (thigh)
Suspended: None
Ineligible: Malen
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The big loss for Celtic is forward Daizen Maeda, who is suspended due to his red card in the win over Young Boys. Combined with the fact that Kyogo Furuhashi signed for Rennes on Monday, Brendan Rodgers’ attacking options suddenly look a little light.
Adam Idah gets the nod as the No. 9, and Yang Hyun-jun also comes in to the front three.
Otherwise, Brendan Rodgers’ injury picture is largely unchanged given they could not play last weekend, although Cameron Carter-Vickers and James Forrest miss out. Odin Thiago Holm is a long-term absentee.
Celtic predicted lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Schmeichel (GK) — Johnston, Scales, Trusty, Taylor — Engels, McGregor, Hatate — Kuhn, Idah, Bernardo
Celtic subs: Sinisalo, Bain, Palma, McGowan, Nawrocki, Bernardo, Montgomery, Murray, Cummings, Ralston
Injured: Holm (unspecified), Carter-Vickers (unspecified), Forrest (foot)
Suspended: Maeda (red card)
Aston Villa vs. Celtic live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this Champions League match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | — | Paramount+, ViX |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK | TNT Sports 1 | discovery+ |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| India | — | Sony LIV, JioTV |