Basel will aim to extend their formidable Europa League home record when they host an in-form Aston Villa side at St Jakob-Park on Thursday night.
The meeting marks the clubs’ first encounter since August 2001, when John Gregory’s Aston Villa claimed a 4-1 aggregate win in the Intertoto Cup final.
Aston Villa arrive in Switzerland in exceptional form. Unai Emery has overseen a dominant run over the past two months, guiding his team to 13 wins from their last 15 matches in all competitions (L2), scoring at least two goals in 10 of those outings.
Their most recent victory came last weekend against Premier League leaders Arsenal, where substitute Emiliano Buendia delivered a dramatic 95th-minute goal to secure a 2-1 win and extend Villa’s winning streak to seven matches.
The club’s early-season difficulties are now firmly behind them. Emery’s men are legitimate Premier League title contenders, sitting third in the table and just three points off top spot after 15 games. A favourable trip to West Ham United awaits on Sunday.
Before that, Villa must refocus on the Europa League, where they have made a strong start to the League Phase. They have collected 12 points from five matches (W4, L1) and sit joint first in the 36-team standings alongside Lyon and FC Midtjylland. A win on Thursday would place them in a commanding position to secure a top-eight finish and automatic qualification for the round of 16.
Villa edged Young Boys 2-1 at Villa Park on matchday five, but their away form in Europe remains a concern. They have picked up just one win in their last six UEFA Cup/Europa League away fixtures (D1, L4) and suffered a 2-1 defeat to Go Ahead Eagles in the Netherlands in October.
Basel, back in the Europa League for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals six years ago, have endured an uneven campaign so far. Their League Phase results have alternated between wins and losses across five matches (W2, L3).
However, St Jakob-Park continues to be their fortress. Basel have won each of their last seven Europa League home games — the longest active streak in the competition — including this season’s victories over Stuttgart (2-0) and FCSB (3-1).
A 2-1 defeat away to Genk on matchday five dropped Ludovic Magnin’s side to 24th in the 36-team standings, currently holding the final playoff slot but only three points behind 10th place. Three fixtures remain: Aston Villa, Red Bull Salzburg, and Viktoria Plzen.
Basel approach Thursday’s match with renewed confidence following two consecutive domestic wins — a 3-1 Swiss Cup victory at Grand-Saconnex and a last-gasp 2-1 success against Winterthur in the league, sealed by a 93rd-minute strike from Keigo Tsunemoto.
Third in the Swiss Super League and seven points off the top, Basel enter this European clash as underdogs. Even so, they have registered five wins in their last 10 meetings with English clubs, positioning them as a dangerous opponent for Villa.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
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Basel are still assessing the availability of forward Kaio Eduardo. The 20-year-old recently completed a cross-competition suspension and has also been managing an undisclosed injury, leaving his involvement uncertain.
Captain Xherdan Shaqiri — formerly of Stoke City and Liverpool — continues to be Basel’s most influential player, registering a team-leading 11 goals and 10 assists across 25 appearances in all competitions this season. The 34-year-old opened the scoring in last weekend’s win over Winterthur and is expected to retain his place in the attacking unit on Thursday.
Benie Traore, formerly of Sheffield United, along with Philip Otele and Moritz Broschinski, will compete for starting roles alongside Shaqiri in the final third. In midfield, Andrej Bacanin is anticipated to replace Marin Soticek and join Metinho and Leo Leroy in the engine room.
On the Aston Villa side, Tyrone Mings and Ross Barkley remain unavailable due to respective thigh and knee injuries, while Evann Guessand is doubtful after the knock that ruled him out of the victory against Arsenal.
Matty Cash netted the opener versus the Gunners, but he may be rested for this European fixture. Lamare Bogarde, Victor Lindelof, and Andres Garcia are all candidates to start at right-back, with Garcia now fit to make his first appearance of the season following injury.
Should Lindelof not be deployed at right-back, he could slot in at centre-back in place of Ezri Konsa, partnering Pau Torres. On the left side of defence, Lucas Digne and Ian Maatsen will continue their competition for the starting berth.
In attack, Donyell Malen is under consideration to replace Ollie Watkins, while Emiliano Buendia and Jadon Sancho are also pushing for inclusion in Unai Emery’s starting XI.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Basel possible starting lineup:
Hitz; Tsunemoto, Adjetey, Daniliuc, Schmid; Metinho, Bacanin; Shaqiri, Leroy, Otele; Broschinski
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Bogarde, Lindelof, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Onana; Buendia, Tielemans, Rogers; Malen
EXPERT PREDICTION
Basel 1-2 Aston Villa
