Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
Legia
Match Time & Date:
21/09/2023
18:45
Prediction: 1-2
Aston Villa
After cruising past Hibernian 8-0 on aggregate in the final qualifying round, Aston Villa will look to win their Conference League group E opener as well when they take on Legia at Stadion Wojska Polskiego. The Villans quickly bounced back from a 3-0 loss to Liverpool, with the team beating Crystal Palace 3-1 in a thriller at the weekend and, no doubt, they are high on confidence ahead of the trip to Warsaw.
Both Leon Bailey and Jhon Duran should be recalled to the starting XI after the duo got their names on the scoresheet at the weekend, while Diego Carlos and Tyrone Mings are unlikely to be risked. Legia, on the other hand, played out a 1-1 draw with Piast Gliwice in their last league match, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry against the Conference League trophy hopefuls. There are no fresh injury concerns in the home team.
Highlighted Player (Leon Bailey):
Leon Bailey is a Phoenix All Stars Academy product who was born in Kingston on August 9, 1997. The Jamaica international played for the likes of FC Liefering and Trencin during his youth career, but he made his senior debut with Belgian side Genk in August, 2015 in a 3-1 win over Saint-Truiden.
The pacey winger quickly established himself as one of the best players in the Belgian top flight, but he scored only 8 goals in 56 appearances for Genk from 2015 to 2017. In the winter of 2017 Leon Bailey signed a deal with Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of €20 million. Bailey is a left-footed footballer, but he is capable of playing on both sides of the field.
The Bayer Leverkusen winger made one appearance for Jamaica U23 team, but he eventually refused to represent the Reggae Boyz at senior level as he has personal problems with the association. It has to be noted that Leon Bailley scored 12 goals in 34 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen in the 2017/2018 Bundesliga season.
Highlighted Team (Legia):
Legia is a football club based in Warsaw and it is one of the most successful sides in Polish history. The Militarians – as they are commonly referred to in Poland – have won 11 Ekstraklasa Championship title, while they also hold the record-18 Polish Cup trophies and four Polish SuperCup matches.
Founded as the main official football club of the Polish Army, Legia Warsaw are playing theirhome matches at the Polish Army Stadium which can accommodate 31,000 people. Legia have endured mixed fortunes at the international scene with the Polish giants regularly participating in Europa League, with four group inclusions over the last six years. The Militarians headed into the 2016-17 season feeling buoyed and motivated having succeeded in ending the 20-year Champions League wait, becoming the first Polish team to take part in Europe’s elite competition over the last two decades.
The 3-1 aggregate playoff victory over Irish Dundalk earned them a place in the final showpiece with Legia being thrown into a heavy mix with the likes of Sporting CP, Borussia Dortmund and European champions Real Madrid.
Brighton
Southampton
Barcelona
Las Palmas 
Crystal Palace
Newcastle 
Borussia Dortmund 
Bayern Munich 
West Ham
Arsenal
Chelsea 
