Douglas Luiz played a huge part in Aston Villa’s rise to the elite.
The 26-year-old moved to the Midlands in 2019 from Manchester City in the hope that he would help the club into Europe in some way.
It so happened to be that, as soon as Luiz helped Villa into the Champions League, the powers that be were forced to sell him due to Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and Financial Fair Play (FFP).
Luiz has had a mixed time at Juventus, but Aston Villa themselves can’t exactly shout from the rooftops because they are sitting ninth in the Premier League table.
Even though Unai Emery watched his team suffer a defeat in the Champions League last time out, at least the fans can smile about their performances so far in that competition.
Villa occupy the final play-off spot, but they have a mountain of teams behind them ahead of their next heavyweight showdown.
It’s the small matter of Serie A giants Juventus coming to town, but will Luiz feature?
Douglas Luiz eager to feature for Juventus against Aston Villa in the Champions League
The Brazil international has only played 312 minutes since moving to Turin, and for the past month, he has been on the sidelines with a muscle issue.
Juventus have several injury worries ahead of their trip to Vila Park next Wednesday night and it seems as though Luiz is touch and go.
Italian outlet TuttoJuve claims that Luiz is fighting, alongside Nico Gonzalez, to be fit for their side’s upcoming fixtures.
Before coming to England, it’s a small matter of facing AC Milan at the San Siro for Luiz and Co.
The report suggests that the dead-ball specialist probably won’t be available for that weekend’s game, but it states that he wants to, ‘at least’, be on the bench for his return to Aston Villa.
How has Luiz faired at Juventus after Villa exit?
When Luiz first joined Villa, he needed time to settle in and it took him half a season (during the COVID campaign) to show what he was all about.
It seems as though he is going down the same road in Juve colours, the only difference is that there is more pressure and expectation on his shoulders.
WhoScored haven’t been kind to him, in regards to how they have rated his performances this term, with a rating of 6.07 in the Champions League.
| Tournament | Apps | Mins | Goals | Assists | Tackles | SpG | AvgPasses | KeyP | PS% | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serie A | 2(5) | 269 | – | – | 0.9 | 0.6 | 29 | 1.1 | 91.1 | 6.60 |
| Champions League | 0(2) | 45 | – | – | 1.5 | 0.5 | 12 | – | 83.3 | 6.07 |
Luiz gave away two penalties in the space of a few days, in the Champions League and Serie A, which proved how it hasn’t been as smooth sailing as he was hoping it would be.
But given time, he will come good and prove that he can translate his Premier League form into a so-called lesser league.
Villa themselves have injury issues, but either way, if Luiz does return, then the home fans will give him a warm welcome.
