UEFA Champions League: Martin Keown says new format means 'jeopardy' for Bayern Munich at 'rocking' Aston Villa

Aston Villa will host a European Cup match for the first time since the 1980s when they welcome Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich to Villa Park, live on TNT Sports and discovery+. Unai Emery's side got off to the perfect start with a 3-0 victory at Young Boys in their UEFA Champions League opener and former Villa player Martin Keown believes the ground will be "rocking" on Wednesday night.

Martin Keown has told TNT Sports that the new UEFA Champions League format means that there will be "jeopardy" for Bayern Munich when they face a daunting trip to Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Villa Park will host a match at the top tier of European football for the first time in over 40 years against Vincent Kompany's team, which will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Unai Emery's side got off to the perfect start of their European campaign as they strolled to a comfortable 3-0 win at Young Boys two weeks ago, thanks to goals from Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey and Amadou Onana.

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Villa take on Bayern for the first time since the 1982 European Cup final where the English club enjoyed a memorable 1-0 victory to be crowned European champions.

The new format for the competition means that Wednesday's tie is a one-off occasion for both clubs to face off in the league phase before they could potentially meet again in the knockout rounds, and Keown says the atmosphere at Villa Park will make a huge difference.

"Villa Park is one of those grounds which creates a fantastic atmosphere," the former Arsenal and Villa defender told TNT Sports.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

"Those European nights are a bit tasty. It was the semi-final ground of the FA Cup, there’s something about it.

"It has to be rocking and there’s still enough fans to remember those great European nights of the past. And a new generation [of fans] are seeing Villa now as a very attractive team to watch."

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He continued: "I like this new format because the jeopardy is there. 'We can go toe-to-toe, we can do it here at our ground.' They only get one chance now, and you don’t have to face Bayern again until the latter stages, so I quite like that.

"Okay, 'you fancy a night here, we’ve got a special atmosphere at Villa Park and let’s see if you can cope, because you wouldn’t have experienced anything like this'. I’m pleased the ground gets that opportunity again, for the fans to taste those European nights."

'Pivotal to the way they play tactically'

Villa head into the game without captain John McGinn, who picked up a hamstring injury in the 3-1 Premier League win over local rivals Wolves.

McGinn's absence was felt when Villa drew 2-2 at newly promoted Ipswich on Sunday and Keown says that the midfielder plays a key role in the way Emery sets up his team.

"I think the world of football knows how important he is," Keown added. "He’s a character. I think he’s quite pivotal to the way they play tactically.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

"I think he understands the system really well because they’re 4-4-2 out of possession and when they get the ball, they have two in front and then two up top, so they have a box of four in that midfield.

"He creates that by dropping back into midfield, he does it from the wing and often one of the front players does it from the top. It works really well and I think this system seems to cause a lot of issues for their opponents.

"With McGinn, you can play him in a No. 6 or out wide, he’s very strong and reliable, and he’s a 7 or 8 out of 10 every game."

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TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024-25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

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