Aston Villa Verdict

Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley each scored twice as Villa beat Fenerbahçe 6-0 at Villa Park, the club's biggest ever European victory and their first home win of the season. Johan Manzambi opened the scoring on his 21st birthday, Jackson struck twice before half-time, Barkley added a penalty and a deflected shot, and the substitute Tammy Abraham completed the rout in the 90th minute. Leon Goretzka made his Villa debut off the bench. Villa have won both of their Champions League league-phase matches and host Viking FK on October 21st.

Vitória Guimarães have called an extraordinary general meeting for October 30th to vote on transferring a 17% stake in their SAD back to V Sports, the holding company of Villa owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens. Approval would take V Sports from 29% back to the 46% stake the Portuguese club's members originally approved. V Sports reduced its holding and gave up its seats on Vitória's board to comply with UEFA's multi-club ownership rules when both clubs qualified for the 2023-24 Europa Conference League.

Unai Emery said on Tuesday that Matteo Ruggeri, forced off at half-time against Brentford on Saturday, will be out for “some weeks… more than one month” with a hamstring injury. With Ian Maatsen also out, Villa remain without a fit senior left-back; Emery said Maatsen “should be joining us in a few days or a week”. Leon Goretzka is in the squad for Wednesday's Champions League visit of Fenerbahçe and could make his Villa debut. George Hemmings misses the match with a minor problem but may return against Newcastle on Saturday, Modou Kéba Cissé has started training with the group, and Brian Madjo and Taylor Harwood-Bellis are not registered for the Champions League.

Yehor Yarmoliuk put Brentford ahead on 10 minutes and Nicolas Jackson equalised two minutes later, finishing after Emiliano Buendía's deflected shot fell into his path. John McGinn curled Villa in front with 13 minutes left, his shot taking a deflection off Kristoffer Ajer, but Ajer ran from deep to equalise almost immediately from Jaidon Anthony's pass. Matty Cash returned at right-back, and Matteo Ruggeri went off at half-time with a hamstring problem. Villa have five points from six league matches and are still without a home league win this season. Unai Emery said afterwards: “To draw at home is not a good result. We are sad.” Fenerbahçe visit Villa Park in the Champions League on Wednesday, October 14th.

Matteo Ruggeri was replaced at the interval of the 2-2 draw with Brentford, and Unai Emery confirmed afterwards that the problem is with his hamstring: “It's his hamstring. We will check tomorrow.” Aaron Wan-Bissaka, a right-back by trade, moved across to left-back for the second half. Ruggeri had been deputising for Ian Maatsen, who is out with ankle tendon damage until late October at the earliest, leaving Wan-Bissaka and Lamare Bogarde as the remaining options at left-back before Fenerbahçe visit on October 14th and the trip to Newcastle on October 17th.

Villa's North Stand redevelopment has moved beyond groundwork, with cranes lifting pre-cast concrete sections into position and the first parts of the new stand's side structures taking shape, BirminghamLive's John Townley reported on October 9th, citing drone footage from CC Overview. BirminghamLive had been told in August that the wing sections would go up soon after the international break, and further elements are due to be installed over the coming weeks. Work in the corner between the Trinity Road Stand and the North Stand includes two new dressing rooms and a new players' tunnel: the home dressing room will be entirely new and sit further beneath the North Stand, the away side will combine the existing home and away rooms, and players will no longer enter the pitch through the Trinity Road Stand.

Unai Emery said at his pre-Brentford press conference on October 9th that Modou Kéba Cissé is progressing very well and will start training with the squad next week. Leon Goretzka and Brian Madjo joined group training last week and are working with the squad this week; Emery said Goretzka had taken a step forward over the last 10 days and that he hopes the midfielder will be available in the coming days or weeks. Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen are both progressing well but remain out.

Unai Emery said on October 9th that the two weeks of work at Bodymoor Heath during the international break were very important for Alejandro Garnacho, who scored and played 90 minutes in both the behind-closed-doors win over Southampton and the 3-1 win at Sevilla. Emery said the winger still has work to do on his power and on adapting tactically to Villa's structure, but that he is working well and progressing.

Victor Lindelöf and Emiliano Buendía are progressing in talks over new contracts at Villa, Jacob Tanswell of The Athletic reported on October 9th, calling the deals a deserved reward for form that began last season and has carried into this one. It is the first report of talks with Lindelöf, who joined on a free transfer from Manchester United in the summer of 2025 on a two-year contract with an option for a further year. Both players' current deals run to June 2027. Tanswell had reported on September 22nd that Buendía's discussions had moved beyond the exploratory stage. No agreement has been reached and no new expiry date has been reported.

Johan Manzambi came on at half-time and scored in the 73rd minute of Switzerland's 3-0 Nations League win over North Macedonia on October 6th, his seventh international goal, Villa confirmed. The result keeps the Swiss on a 100% record in League B, Group 1. In the same group, John McGinn played 87 minutes at Hampden Park as Scotland lost 2-1 to Slovenia, leaving them third with four points from four games. Villa resume against Brentford at Villa Park on October 10th.