FC Basel vs Aston Villa: Match preview, head-to-head, team news, key players

Basel take on Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa League matchday six at St. Jakob-Park on Thursday evening.

Basel lost 2-1 at Genk last time out, while Villa beat Young Boys by the same scoreline at Villa Park.

Basel have picked up just five points from five Europa League games and are 24th in the standings, occupying the last play-off spot.

The Swiss side have won their two home games, scoring five goals and conceding once. Remarkably, they have not suffered a home defeat in the competition since 2015.

Basel need to build on their impressive home record to edge out Villa and bolster their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.

Unai Emery’s side arrive with confidence, having beaten Premier League table-toppers Arsenal 2-1, extending their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions.

Villa are joint-top of the standings and a victory here would move them closer to automatic qualification for the knock-out.

This fixture would provide a big test for the Villans, considering Basel’s strong record on their patch.

It also remains to be seen whether the visitors have fully recovered from the physical exertion of their clash with Arsenal.

Basel have faced Villa twice, losing once and drawing the other, with both meetings coming in the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Basel head into this fixture with a clean bill of health.

Conversely, Villa are sweating over the fitness of Evann Guessand, while Ross Barkley and Tyrone Mings are ruled out.

Xherdan Shaqiri: Has scored three goals in five Europa League games.

Marwin Hitz: The Swiss goalkeeper ranks fifth for goals prevented in the competition this term.

Matty Cash: The Polish full-back has a goal and an assist in his last two games.

Marco Bizot: The busiest goalkeeper in the competition, sitting first for saves per game.

Stats from whoscored.com, 11v11.com & sofascore.com