Aston Villa's Champions League Return: Pressure on Emery

Aston Villa return to the Champions League on Tuesday with the glow of last season’s European triumph already fading and the new campaign threatening to turn sour before it has even begun.

One point from three Premier League games. The UEFA Super Cup slipped away. Now a trip to Belgium, and a familiar one at that: Club Brugge again, for the third time in two years.

Emery under the spotlight

Unai Emery built his reputation on nights like this, navigating Europe with a cold clarity that made him one of the continent’s most respected tacticians. This time, though, he arrives under an unusual glare.

His decision to leave Brian Madjo and Taylor Harwood-Bellis out of Villa’s Champions League league-phase squad has drawn rare criticism. Madjo, the hero of the Super Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain with two goals, is an obvious omission on form alone. Harwood-Bellis, a major summer signing, is another eyebrow-raiser.

The debate, for now, is academic. Madjo is unavailable anyway, joining Swiss World Cup standout Johan Manzambi and long-term absentee Amadou Onana on the injury list. Villa travel light in some key areas, and Emery’s options are being shaped as much by the treatment room as by the registration list.

Suspensions, returns and big calls

There is at least one boost. Joao Gomes, currently serving a three-match domestic suspension, is free to feature in Europe and should add bite and balance in midfield. His presence changes the feel of this team. Emery knows it.

He also has the chance to finally unleash some of his summer business on a European stage. Leon Goretzka, yet to pull on the claret and blue in a competitive game, could make his debut from the bench. A player of his pedigree alters the rhythm of a match the moment he steps onto the pitch.

Out wide, Ibrahim Mbaye is pushing hard for a start against his former club’s great domestic rivals. The ex-PSG winger offers direct running and a different type of threat, but if he comes in, someone must give way. Either rookie forward George Hemmings or busy playmaker Emi Buendia is likely to drop out, and that choice will say plenty about how aggressive Emery wants to be in Bruges.

Up front, the picture is complicated. Record signing Nicolas Jackson is expected to lead the line again. He has yet to convince, but with Madjo injured and Tammy Abraham apparently out of favour, Emery’s faith in Jackson is being tested early. These are the nights that can flip a narrative for a striker. Or deepen the doubts.

Behind them, new number one Zion Suzuki is also set to start. He will not need reminding that Villa’s last visit to this city turned on a single defensive mistake.

Ghosts of Bruges and battles for places

That error belonged to Tyrone Mings back in 2025, his slip contributing to a 1-0 defeat on Villa’s first trip to Bruges that season. The memory lingers. Whether he keeps his place this time ahead of Pau Torres is one of the more intriguing selection calls. Emery has never shied away from a big defensive decision.

Full-back is another battleground. Matteo Ruggeri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are both pushing to dislodge Matty Cash and Ian Maatsen. Cash offers energy and drive, Maatsen brings attacking flair and already has history in this fixture after scoring against Brugge at Villa Park in March 2025. Dropping either would be a statement.

For now, the likely shape of Emery’s side looks familiar, even if the stakes feel different:

Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Gomes; McGinn, Buendia, Hemmings; Jackson.

It is a team built to keep the ball, to press high, to turn a scratchy start into something more convincing. But Villa arrive in Belgium still searching for their first win of the 2026-27 season, still trying to rediscover the ruthless edge that carried them to European glory.

This is not just another group-stage opener. It is an early test of whether last season was a launchpad or a high-water mark.