Robin van Persie and his Feyenoord team’s mettle will be tested as they come up against the UEFA Europa League’s (UEL) most successful manager in Unai Emery and his resurgent Aston Villa.
Match News and Current Form
Feyenoord will be up against it as they lost on matchday one, going down 1-0 to Braga on the road, but redeemed themselves at the weekend with a win against Groningen by the same scoreline. That Braga defeat was just their second in ten matches this season (W7, D1), and they’ll be out to prove it was just a bump in the road boosted by the fact that they’re unbeaten in their last six UEL home games (W4, D2), outscoring their opponents 18-4 in that time.
Visitors Aston Villa were on a seven-game winless run heading into their UEL opener (D3, L4), but managed to turn things around with a gutsy 1-0 victory over Bologna, and consolidated that performance with a 3-1 win over Fulham last time out. All hopes here lie with four-time winning coach of this competition Emery, who’ll be expected to mastermind another improved performance since he’s lost just 13 of his 101 matches in the UEL (W66, D22), although one of those defeats did come against Feyenoord when managing Sevilla in 2014.
Head-to-Head History
Although this will be the first meeting between the sides, Feyenoord are no strangers to English opposition with this being their 29th such encounter (W8, D6, L14), while Villa are unbeaten in five H2Hs against Dutch sides (W4, D1).
Hot Stats and Streaks
Just one of Feyenoord’s last six games saw both teams score.
Eleven of Feyenoord’s last 15 European games produced over 2.5 goals.
Five of Villa’s last six European games produced over 2.5 goals.
Villa have scored exactly one first-half goal in three of their last four games.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Ayase Ueda was Feyenoord’s matchwinner at the weekend, and has been on the winning side in each of the 18 games he’s scored in for them. Villa’s decisive strikes lately have come from captain John McGinn who netted the winner against Bologna and the go-ahead goal against Fulham, meaning he’s won 16 of his last 17 goalscoring outings for his club (L1).
Feyenoord’s Malcolm Jeng came off injured at half-time at the weekend, while Villa are in a similar situation with centre-back Tyrone Mings, who was forced off against Fulham.
For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.
Betting Analysis
Given Emery’s prowess in the competition, backing Villa to score in the first half seems a handy pick.
Author: Peter Stavrinou
