When Aston Villa host Maccabi Tel Aviv in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, it will be a match where the headlines are much bigger than football. Supporters of the visiting Israeli club were initially banned from attending, but that proved to be a moot point as Maccabi later elected to decline their ticket allocation, due to safety reasons.
And as an added precaution, more than 700 extra police will be on site for the midweek continental competition. Widespread protests are expected.
UEFA Europa League Matchday 4 FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs. Nov 6, 8pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Aston Villa Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Aston Villa 10th, 6 pts, WWL Maccabi Tel-Aviv 32nd 1 pt, DLL
Residents living near Villa Park have been warned of the significant potential (or we could just say likely) disruption to their daily lives that the added police presence could cause. With all that’s going on in the world…well, we’re not here to talk politics, but we do know that the issues involved here are much more important than a sports ball kicking game.
Oh and here’s the lineup prediction.
Aston Villa Predicted Starting XI vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Marco Bizot; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Victor Lindelof, Ian Maatsen; Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara; Donyell Malen, John McGinn, Morgan Rogers; Ollie Watkins
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN.