Aston Villa can take a massive step towards securing their place in the round of 16 as they travel to Switzerland to face a Basel side that has yet to make a mark on this season's Europa League.
FC Basel won't be an easy task for the Villains, as the home side are unbeaten in their last three domestic matches, however, the home side has failed to pick up a home win in their last two domestic fixtures. In the Europa League, FC Basel have been inconsistent, with two wins and three defeats from seven matches, scoring seven and conceding seven. In this competition, the Swiss side is only just maintaining a top-24 spot in the league phase, with their Swiss counterparts, BSC Young Boys, level on points with six.
As for Aston Villa, their resurgence under Unai Emery following their early-season form has been remarkable, so much so that their recent form has catapulted them into the Premier League title race. The Villains are on a seven-game winning run, following their recent 2-1 victory against Arsenal, which saw some late heroics from Emiliano Buendia. Aston Villa's attacking prowess has been excellent and will likely show itself against inferior opposition, as the Villains have scored first in five of their previous seven in all competitions. Unai Emery's side have picked up 12 points from 15 available in the Europa League, having also beaten Swiss opposition in BSC Young Boys in their last game.
That being said, Villa have the resources at their disposal to make changes and still pick up a win. So with that, we are going for a 3-1 win for the visiting side from England.
Basel 1-3 Aston Villa.
