Key events
Aston Villa 0-0 Club Brugge (agg 3-1): What can Hayen’s side do now? Not much, I would suspect.
“Dear Will – hope Mrs. Unwin is enjoying the games along with you,” says Benjamin. She is not. “I was hoping PSG would progress against Liverpool, as I felt the chances of an ‘off-colour’ performance was higher for PSG in any quarter-final, should Villa manage to complete the job tonight – hopefully ‘at a canter’ (It’s race-week here in Cheltenham, sorry!)
“Am slightly regretting that view, as of today, given how good the Parisians looked.
“What is certain is that Villa will need Boubacar Kamara, so am very glad to see him returning from the start tonight. Whilst he’s clearly not Rodri, he absolutely provides calm collected competence in front of the defence that Villa have sorely missed.
“Am also hopeful that Pau Torres might be back to fitness before any potential quarter-final… Mings is a Villain through and through but he always, always carries a risk of a mistake – being the villain, as well as the hero, in fact.
“I think the end of the season looks fairly bright, however – the squad options are increasing as players return to fitness, and the players coming back strengthen the side. I’m feeling pretty positive from my bar-stool in the Frog.”
RED CARD! Aston Villa 0-0 Club Brugge (Kyriani Sabbe)
The Brugge defender is dismissed for pulling down Rashford when through on goal.
Arsenal 1-1 PSV (agg 8-2): This has the feel of a testimonial. I do hope Pascal Olmeta comes on son to dribble out from his own net.
GOAL! Stoke 1-0 Blackburn (Al Hamadi, 19): Mark Robins’ side are ahead.
Aston Villa 0-0 Club Brugge (agg 3-1): Villa have a free-kick on the edge of the box. Tielemans curls it towards the bottom corner but Mignolet gets down well to stop.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 PSV (Perisic, 19) (agg 8-2)
The former Spurs man scores after being given far too much space in the box. The comeback is on!
Aston Villa 0-0 Club Brugge: The hosts have had a quarter of possession. I appreciate they have a lead but you would hope they had a touch more intent to kill the tie.
Aston Villa 0-0 Club Brugge: Rashford bursts into the box but his touch is a little heavy, allowing Mignolet to come claim.
GOAL! Watford 1-0 Swansea (Sissoko, 27): The Hornets are ahead, giving their playoff hopes a boost.
Arsenal 1-0 PSV: GOAL! Sterling gets the ball on the right and finds his former City colleague Zinchenko who does the rest from the edge of the box.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 PSV (Zinchenko, 6) (agg 8-1)
I think this means the game is over!
Aston Villa 0-0 Club Brugge: A decent chance for the visitors. Jashari whips in a cross into a dangerous area from where Vanaken flashes a header just wide.
Arsenal 0-0 PSV: Driouech has looked quite lively on the left. He will enjoy testing out White’s sharpness.
Aston Villa 0-0 Club Brugge: The Belgians have settled pretty quickly here. Villa are offering possession to Brugge but it looks like it will be difficult to break down Emery’s side.
Aston Villa 0-0 Club Brugge: Things are a bit livelier at Villa Park, especially in the stands where there is a decent racket.
Arsenal 0-0 PSV: Unsurprisingly, the whole event feels subdued because this game is done and dusted.
CHUFFIN’ HECK! Atletico Madrid score in the first minute against Real! Gallagher with the goal.
Scotty Murray is all over that one.
Kick-off
We have whistles peeping in north London and Birmingham.
“Even though I was cheering Lille on,” writes Kári Tulinius, “I feel good for Dortmund’s Kobel, as no goalkeeper deserves to lose their team a tie by being nutmegged. That said, I thought Les Nordistes were better across both matches, and it would’ve been nice to see an unheralded side go deep in the competition. I guess Club Brugge are the last surprise package standing.”
GOAL! Leeds 1-0 Millwall: Cooper turns the ball into his own net to alleviate any tension at Elland Road.
Today is mine and Mrs U’s 10th anniversary and here I am MBMing just for you. What a lucky lady she is.
Mikel Arteta speaks: “We have a lot of flexibility with those three players [Lewis-Skelly, Tierney and Zinchenko] to do a lot of things. I think they all deserve to play and it is a good night to see a certain level of player who haven’t had a lot of match time.
“Yes [Lewis-Skelly] can play in midfield. His whole development was as a six, even more an eight, but because of the situation we have had in the team we saw he could fit in as a full-back and he has adapted really well.”
Full time: Lille 1-2 Borussia Dortmund (agg 2-3)
David scored early on the night but a controversial penalty from Can and then a fine winner from Beier send the Germans through to face Barcelona.
“Yadda, yadda, yadda, Champions League and all that, all very interesting but will there be a new name for the engraver this year? Ha-ha ! Meanwhile, hope you’ll keep us updated with the action at Fortress Elland, where Leeds could return to the top of the Championship “Odds-on Premier League relegation certainties” automatic promotion spots with a point or 3 versus one of their long-standing bogey-teams Millwall. 0 – 1 then, but still marching on together, like the 600…”
I will do my best, Jeremy Boyce.
Four minutes added on in Lille … can the French side find an equaliser?
Unai Emery speaks: “We are playing at Villa Park with our supporters and it is going to be special. They have to try to transmit their energy to us and we have to do that as well. We have to try to show our best performance for them.
“Every match the objective is to try to get the performance and game plan for the full 90 minutes. The players in the starting eleven and also on the bench have to be ready.
“We have to respect the opponent. We are ready for 90 minutes, we are ready for a penalty shootout, and we need to be focused for the whole game. We want to dominate, win the duels and try to get something from the game.”
Unai Emery has three central midfielders playing. He knows Brugge are dangerous in there. He will also be keen to stop the ball getting out to the lively Brugge wingers.
“Arsenal couldn’t possibly unwin this tie, could they?!” Peter Oh No What A Terribly Gag has met everyone I went to primary school with.
Tenuous link to something I wrote a while ago about the Club Brugge head coach.
“Well, I for one and disappointed with that Arsenal lineup,” pens Charles Antaki. “There surely will never be a better opportunity to give the backroom personnel a chance to take the limelight: put the club doctor in goal, find a place for Stan and Josh Kroenke, Vik Akers in midfield (he’ll have arrived at the stadium in shorts anyway), invite Arsène over to boss the midfield, get Nicolas Jover on the wing, and the rest made up of catering stuff and one each of the older ball boys or ball girls. Gunnersaurus to come on at halftime to rescue the match, if PSV somehow managed to score a goal or two.”
I think it was Amorim who was willing to play the 63-year-old goalkeeping coach.
“You have to feel for Nathan Butler-Oyedeji,” writes Kieran McKintosh. “He’s 22, still not had a proper first-team appearance, not even scored on loan at Cheltenham or Accrington, and even in a game like this where it basically doesn’t matter who Arteta plays, a defender who is leaving at the end of the season gets a start up top before he does. Ouch.”
I have a feeling the young lad’s long-term future is not at Arsenal.
Over in Lille … Dortmund have turned it round. Can and Beier have netted for the Germans and they are winning 3-2 in the tie.
I think it’s fair to say that Arteta is giving some lads a runout. Kiwior, Sterling and Tierney all get a chance tonight.
Read Jonathan Wilson on Sterling and the fear of being played out too young.
Alternatively, we have Scott Murray on the Madrid derby.
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Gabriel, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Jorginho, Zinchenko; Sterling, Merino, Tierney
Subs: Neto, Setford, Saliba, Partey, Odegaard, Martinelli, Timber, Trossard, Calafiori, Butler-Oyedeji, Kabia, Nwaneri
PSV (4-3-3): Beintez; Ledezma, Nagalo, Obispo, Malacia; Til, Schouten, Babadi; Bakayoko Perisic, Driouech
Subs: Drommel, Schiks, Karsdrop, Flamingo, Dest, L De Jong, Lang, Boscagli, Bajratarevic, Veerman, Land
Teams: Aston Villa v Club Brugge
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; McGinn, Tielemans, Kamara, Rogers, Watkins, Rashford
Subs: Olsen, Zyvh, Disasi, Digne, Pau Torres, Asensio, Onana, Bogarde, Bailey, Ramsey
Club Brugge (4-3-3): Mignolet; Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Onyedika, Jashari, Vanaken; Talbi, Jutgla, Tzolis
Subs: Jackers, Romero, Vetlesen, Vermant, Nilsson, Skoras, Nielsen, Siquet, Spileers, Campbell
I was at Liverpool last night where we all had a little chat with Virgil van Dijk.
In the early kick-off today, Lille lead Dortmund 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate thanks to a Jonathan David goal.
Pre-match reading courtesy of Ed Aarons and William Saliba.
Preamble
It all seems a bit too straightforward for Arsenal and Aston Villa tonight for my liking. The Gunners would, I assume, disband if they fall to PSV after securing a relatively healthy 7-1 lead in the first leg. It screams dead rubber to me but maybe the Dutch side will fight back and secure the greatest turnaround in world football history*.
Aston Villa fluked their way to a 3-1 in Brugge last week and should really finish the job tonight. They should be a little wary of their opponent because Nicky Hayen’s side won 3-1 in Atalanta last month, so have pedigree of toppling teams higher up the food chain. An early goal for the Villans should, however, kill off the tie, then we can discuss the meaning of life for the rest of the evening.
Elsewhere in the mortal realm, Leeds host Millwall in what should be a spicy affair. Daniel Farke’s men were dumped out of the FA Cup by Alex Neil’s side this season, so are no mugs, although the lineups were much-changed. A win for Leeds will send them two points clear at the top with nine to play, an enticing prospect at Elland Road.
*they will not
