Aston Villa vs Viking prediction

Villa looking to stay perfect

Aston Villa, with two wins from two, host Norwegian side Viking. Unai Emery's team won 3-2 at Club Brugge, then thrashed Fenerbahçe 6-0. They come off a 1-0 Premier League win at Newcastle.

Viking lost their first two games, 3-1 at Stuttgart and 4-3 against Bayern, but showed against the Bavarians that they can score. The Norwegians are in good form in their domestic league.

Nicolas Jackson, the competition's top African scorer

The Senegalese striker is on fire in the Champions League: a goal at Club Brugge on his Villa debut, then a brace against Fenerbahçe. With 3 goals, he is the competition's top African scorer. His compatriot Ibrahim Mbaye, who provided an assist against Fenerbahçe, is also expected to start.

Absentees

Villa are without Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Matteo Ruggeri and Manzambi. Viking have five players injured, including Baertelsen and Berisha.

Our view

Against a defence that has conceded 7 goals in 2 Champions League games, Nicolas Jackson has everything he needs to keep scoring. We go for Nicolas Jackson to score. For a safer option, a Villa win makes sense.

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