Aston Villa v Viking: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch

Where to Watch Aston Villa v Viking: TV and online streams

Aston Villa versus Viking kicks off at 8pm BST on Wednesday, October 21 at Villa Park.

The match is live on TNT Sports 2 in the UK. In the US, it’s on Paramount+ at 3pm ET.

If you live outside the UK, click the LINK HERE to find out where to watch it in your region.

Preview for Aston Villa v Viking

A fortnight ago, Unai Emery’s side were winless at home in the Premier League. Now they are flying, and on Wednesday night they host Norwegian champions Viking looking to make it three wins from three in the Champions League.

Villa’s response since the Brentford draw has been emphatic. They thrashed Fenerbahçe 6-0 at Villa Park last week, with Ross Barkley scoring twice, and followed it up with a hard-fought 1-0 Premier League win at Newcastle on Saturday, where Johan Manzambi headed the winner. They are third in the league-phase table with six points, nine goals scored and only two conceded.

Villa Park is a fortress on European nights. Emery’s side are unbeaten in their last 14 home games in Europe, winning 13 of them.

With Manchester City visiting on Saturday lunchtime, Emery will want to wrap this one up quickly so he can manage minutes.

Viking shouldn’t be underestimated, though. They lost to Stuttgart on matchday one, but last week they almost pulled off one of the shocks of the season, going 2-0 up against Bayern Munich before settling for a 3-3 draw in Stavanger. They have conceded three goals in both of their Champions League games, and six of their last seven matches in all competitions have produced at least three goals.

Champions League Table

Team News for Aston Villa v Viking

Emery’s left-back crisis has deepened. Ian Maatsen and Matteo Ruggeri were already out, and now Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who had been filling in on the left, is injured too. Tyrone Mings is expected to move across to left-back, with Pau Torres and Victor Lindelöf in the middle.

Manzambi picked up a knock at Newcastle but played it down afterwards, and Emery’s initial assessment was encouraging. He should be fit to start, although Emery could rest him with City in mind. George Hemmings is a minor doubt with a knee problem.

If Emery does rotate in attack, Ibrahim Mbaye and Tammy Abraham are both pushing for starts.

For Viking, Kristoffer Haugen is hoping to come back in at left-back in place of Vetle Auklend. Bristol-born New Zealand international Joe Bell is expected to start in midfield, possibly alongside Henrik Bjordal and Kristoffer Askildsen. Zlatko Tripić, who was at the centre of the incident that saw Michael Olise sent off against Bayern, will be key going forward.

Expected line-ups for Aston Villa v Viking

Aston Villa: Suzuki; Cash, Lindelöf, Torres, Mings; Kamara, Barkley; McGinn, Mbaye, Buendía; Jackson

Viking: Østbø; Heggheim, Falchener, Stensness, K Haugen; Tripić, Askildsen, Bell, Bjørdal; Botheim, Christiansen

Stats for Aston Villa v Viking

• This is the first game between the sides.
• Viking’s only previous matches against English opposition came in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup first round, when they lost 2-1 at Chelsea then won 4-2 at home to go through 5-4 on aggregate.
• Villa have won both of their matches against Norwegian opposition, against Strømsgodset in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup first round (3-2 h, 3-0 a).
• This is Villa’s second Champions League campaign; they reached the quarter-finals on debut in 2024/25, losing 4-5 on aggregate against eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
• Unai Emery’s team lifted the Europa League in 2025/26, finishing second in the league phase (W7 L1) before beating Lille (3-0 aggregate), Bologna (7-1) and fellow English side Nottingham Forest (4-1) to reach the final, where they defeated Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul.
• Villa were beaten 2-1 by Paris in the UEFA Super Cup on 12 August.
• This is Viking’s first Champions League campaign since 1992/93, when they lost 0-1 on aggregate to Barcelona in the first round (0-1 a, 0-0 h).
• Viking have reached a European group stage/league phase only once, finishing fourth in their five-team section in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage.

Prediction for Aston Villa v Viking

Villa have looked good in recent weeks and appear to be moving slowly through the gears. This game presents an excellent opportunity to extend their 100% record in the Champions League to three games and solidify a spot in the top eight.

Aston Villa

3 – 0

Viking

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