Aston Villa v Viking Prediction: Can the Villans Maintain Their Perfect Champions League Start?

1 minute ago

| BY Sam McLoughlin

William Hill News tipster @Footy_Tipster previews Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between Aston Villa and Viking.

Aston Villa v Viking takes centre stage at Villa Park on Wednesday evening, with the hosts looking to maintain their perfect Champions League start.

Now, let’s take a closer look at some UEFA Champions League odds and betting angles for Wednesday’s fixture:

Aston Villa appear to have turned a corner following a difficult start to their campaign. Last week’s emphatic 6-0 Champions League victory over Fenerbahce was followed by an impressive 1-0 win at Newcastle on Saturday. Unai Emery’s side will now look to continue their resurgence against Norwegian opposition.
The Villans are unbeaten in their last five competitive matches (W4, D1), whilst their European record at Villa Park is equally impressive. Aston Villa have avoided defeat in their previous 14 European home fixtures (W13, D1). Furthermore, they have won their last 11 such matches, with both runs representing club records.
Villa’s attacking record in European competition offers further encouragement ahead of Wednesday’s encounter. They have failed to score in just one of their last 23 UEFA matches, netting three or more goals in six of their previous eight. William Hill make the hosts strong 1/4 favourites to collect another three points.

Viking produced a memorable performance last week, holding Bayern Munich to an entertaining 3-3 draw in the Champions League. However, the Norwegian outfit are still searching for their first victory in this competition. History offers little encouragement, with Viking losing all seven of their previous European Cup or Champions League away fixtures.
Their only previous European encounters with English opposition came against Chelsea in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup first round. Viking suffered a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge before producing a remarkable comeback on home soil. A 4-2 victory in the return leg secured a memorable 5-4 aggregate triumph over the London club.
Norwegian clubs have historically struggled on English soil in European competition, failing to win any of their last 28 such encounters (D2, L26). That record highlights the challenge facing Viking in Wednesday’s Aston Villa v Viking clash. However, their recent performance against Bayern offers some encouragement. The visitors can be backed at 9/1 with William Hill to claim a surprise victory.