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Aston Villa told two of their stars can tear Bayern Munich’s £80m duo to shreds
There could hardly be more fitting opponents for Aston Villa on their home return to the Champions League. And Gabby Agbonlahor is not ruling out another famous win over Bayern Munich.
In a repeat of that glorious 1982 European Cup triumph, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa welcome the champions of Germany to the Midlands on Wednesday night.
Depending on how you look at it, Bayern Munich represents either a nightmare of an opponent or, on the other hand, the perfect one to kick-start Villa’s continental return.
Repeat the most famous night in Aston Villa’s history – what a tribute to the late, great Gary Shaw that would be by the way – and the claret-and-blue clad side will announce themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the European stage after so many decades away.
But lose and lose heavily – a free-scoring Bayern team would have been licking their lips watching Ipswich Town carve them open – and Aston Villa will hit the ground with an almighty bump.
Former captain Gabriel Agbonlahor thinks this is a game which could go either way. Perhaps, decided by the odd goal in seven.
But with a Bayern backline of Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-Jae vulnerable to the pace and movement of Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rodgers – not to mention Leon Bailey, Jacob Ramsey and Jhon Duran – there should be plenty of opportunities for a Villa side who smacked three past BSC Young Boys on matchday one.
Aston Villa duo Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers can scare Bayern Munich
“We always got told stories about the 1982 team, and now we’ve got Villa in the Champions League. It’s going to be an amazing night for every Villa fan,” Agbonlahor tells , the £80 million backline of Upamecano and Kim hardly unaccustomed to the odd blunder.
“Look at Aston Villa going forward. I think they will look at the defence of Bayern Munich. Upamecano, you know, he can be got at by Watkins and Rogers running behind them. And Kim, who played at the weekend [in a 1-1 draw with Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen].
“But then you look at them going forward. Jamal Musiala, he’s a real threat. You’ve got [Leroy] Sane, [Serge] Gnabry, Harry Kane…
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a 3-3 [or] 4-3. Two teams going at it.”
Bayern Munich have scored a remarkable 30 goals in seven games this season. Nine of those came in that extraordinary dismantling of Dinamo Zagreb last time out.
Vincent Kompany was on the radars of Tottenham, Chelsea and Brighton despite a dismal 2023/24 campaign which ended in relegation at Burnley.
And while it will take more than a few thrashings of Zagreb and Holstein Kiel to silence the doubters, the dynamism and the thrust that Kompany has brought back to the Allianz Stadium will have those who mocked his appointment wondering if they had written him off too soon.
Though Watkins insists the superior experience in Aston Villa’s dugout in Unai Emery can be a deciding factor.
Vincent Kompany likes Aston Villa to Bayer Leverkusen
The former Manchester City captain expects to come up against an Aston Villa side deploying similar tactics to last weekend’s opponents Leverkusen, meanwhile.
“I think everything Aston Villa do is very clear,” Kompany said in his pre-match press conference. “They’re very well organised. You can see what they want to do in every phase of the game. They’re compact.
“It’s a similar style to Bayer Leverkusen. Being compact between the lines, how they pose a threat on the counter and the runs they want to make in behind. They do that very well, which is why they did so well last season.
“Everyone knows it’s been over 40 years since Aston Villa last played in the European Cup. What they did last season was extraordinary. They’ve earned it. They’re a really organised team with a good atmosphere at home.
“But Bayern are used to these nights. We want to enjoy it, and the players are hopefully up for playing here.”