Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
Aston Villa will be looking to extend their winning run to four games in all competitions when they take on Legia on Thursday evening. The Villans are brimming with confidence following a nice comeback in the EPL clash with Spurs and a big win over Legia will see them book their spot in the Conference League last 16. Both Youri Tielemans and Leon Bailey are pushing for a start, while the likes of Buendia, Mings, and Traore remain in the recovery room, but Italy international Nicolo Zaniolo should be fit for the Conference League game.
The Poles, on the other hand, recorded a routine 2-0 win over Zrinjski in their last group game, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry against Aston Villa, who have turned their Villa Park into a real fortress. As for the away team, Ramil Mustafaev remains on the sidelines with injury, while both Kun and Ribeiro are one yellow card away from suspension.
Highlighted Player (Diego Carlos):
Diego Carlos Santos Silva is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Nantes as a defender. His main position is centre-back and his preferred foot is right. Diego Carlos began his youth career at America-SP and in 2010 he moved to Desportivo Brasil. After spending the 2012/2013 season on loan at Sao Paulo, the 185-cm-tall defender returned to Desportivo Brasil.
However, he made his first-team debut with Madureira during his spell with the club (2014). In 2014 Diego Carlos signed a contract with Portuguese club Estoril Praia and he scored two goals in 39 appearances for the Primeira Liga club. It has to be noted, though, that he played for Porto B (on loan) in the 2014/2015 season.
Diego Carlos moved to French club Nantes in the summer of 2016 and you should bear in mind that he quickly established himself as a first-team regular with les Canaris. The Brazilian footballer scored two goals in 34 appearances for Nantes in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 campaign. His contract with the Ligue 1 side expires on June 20, 2021.
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.