Aston Villa are going through a rare tough run of form and there are only a few positives to take from their recent matches.
Unai Emery’s men were held to a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace on Saturday, extending their winless run to six matches in all competitions.
Stan Collymore was critical of Emery’s high line at Villa Park, with both of Palace’s goals arriving as a result of counterattacks.
Despite feeling disheartened by the result, there were some reasons to feel optimistic about their Champions League clash against Juventus.
Jamie O’Hara dubbed Emi Martinez as ‘world-class’ for the fantastic stops he made in that game, while striker Ollie Watkins broke one Villa record, becoming the club’s first player in Premier League history to reach 50+ goal involvements at Villa Park.
Martinez and Watkins are two players who can inspire Villa to victory against Juve on Wednesday night, especially after one bizarre decision Thiago Motta made in the build-up.
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Thiago Motta names just 14 outfield players in Champions League squad
While Villa were boosted by Boubacar Kamara and Ezri Konsa returning to training, their opponents haven’t been so fortunate, with Juventus enduring an injury crisis.
Motta will be without eight of his Juve stars for the contest, most notably Douglas Luiz, Dusan Vlahovic, and Weston McKennie, a player Villa nearly signed in the summer.
Remarkably, the Italian boss has made the bizarre decision to name just 14 outfield players in his Champions League squad on Wednesday night, as confirmed by journalist John Townley.
Juventus have perhaps been forced into this decision, given how many players they have sidelined, but it also serves as an opportunity for Emery to end this poor recent run of form.
Juventus’ record vs English clubs
A run of six games without a win for Emery is unheard-of territory, in fact, it’s something he’s never done throughout his managerial career.
On Wednesday, the Spaniard has an excellent opportunity to secure another big scalp under the lights while piling further misery onto Juventus.
- READ MORE: What Thiago Motta interestingly said about Unai Emery at PSG ahead of Aston Villa v Juventus
The Italian giants have not just been hit with an injury crisis, they also notoriously struggle on English soil, winning just three of their last 15 away matches against English sides in European competition.
| Juventus’ record vs English teams | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals |
| 21 | 14 | 17 | 63-59 |
Villa have already produced some special nights under the lights, from Jhon Duran’s screamer against Bayern to John McGinn’s strike in the win over Bologna, and now Juventus are next in the firing line.
