Bit surprised Aston Villa is favored Tuesday in the UCL opener in Belgium, especially with some injury issues with midfielders Johan Manzambi and Leon Goretzka sidelined. Club Brugge has lost only three of its past 22 at home, and I win with a draw Tuesday so that's great. Brugge has scored three or more goals in six of its last seven home Champions League games. Aston Villa not only hasn't won in three Premier League matches yet this year, it hasn't scored. The Belgians have scored in 25 straight in all competitions obviously stretching back into last season. I asked ChatGPT for giggles, and it gave me Brugge 34% to win and 35% to draw. A 69% chance of cashing on a moneyline is -223.
Club Brugge are a team with a good amount of UCL and UEFA pedigree. The giants out of the Belgian Jupiler are known for their fast and aggressive pace when playing at home. This is a club that will smell blood in the water against an Aston Villa side who has started off the Premier League season in an embarrassing fashion. Villa are the better team but the form their in doesn't give me confidence and I expect a shootout to follow.
