It's minus three minutes until kick-off...

It's minus one minute until kick-off...

The players have been waiting for some time in the tunnel to come out but they're on the move now.

A light show and fireworks and whatnot at Villa Park for this game.

As well as this match being just the second time these two teams have met in European competition - last season's Champions League league phase being the other - it also features two clubs that are currently sitting top four in their respective domestic leagues.

Aston Villa have won all five of their home European matches in 2025 (three in the Champions League, two in the Europa League).

Since the start of 2023-24, they have won more home European matches than any other club (12 in 14 games).

Image source, Getty Images

Celtic interim manager Martin O'Neill speaking to TNT Sports before what could be his final match in charge: "The performance tonight is almost secondary to the result, but we'd like to play well obviously. Tonight is about trying to get on the front foot and just go and attack.

"I would like to stay in the competition if we can."

When asked if he will have a handover with Wilfried Nancy, who is set to become Celtic's permanent manager, O'Neill said "that will be up to the incoming manager".

Follow the Celtic live text here.

Mike Taylor
BBC WM commentator

"I've tried a bit in training, probably not as much as I should…" said Morgan Rogers after his free-kick left Leeds frozen like a spot-the-ball photograph. "Coach Austin [McPhee]'s always banging on at me to try more, to keep doing it after training so yeah, I'm gonna keep going."

Good grief. Imagine how good he will be when he really gets the hang of it.

That's nine wins from 11 now putting Aston Villa in a Champions League qualifying place and into a top-eight slot in the Europa League table, on course for their overall targets for this season.

During the early weeks of the campaign, the results maybe lagged a little behind some of the performances. Now it is the other way round - a positive sign.

While winning, Villa collectively seem to be working towards something this season rather than already being at their full potential. The thrashing of Bournemouth excepted, it still feels like there is more to add. Like Rogers, imagine how good they will all be when they really get the hang of it.

Unai Emery seldom talks of his team reaching a standard, but rather as if they are on some eternal journey of progression.

"Last month we achieved very good wins against Tottenham, Manchester City and Bournemouth," he said on Sunday. "But how we were coming back after the break was our challenge before the match and how the players were again getting our standard higher than at the beginning of the season."

Onwards, to two fixtures which on all known evidence appear among the least taxing of the season. Villa played the Swiss side Young Boys last year in the Champions League and, after adjusting to the artificial pitch in Bern, won comfortably. Sunday against Wolves may be a derby, but one against opponents at their lowest ebb in years.

Both matches look straightforward, but so did the Go Ahead Eagles game, one of Villa's few recent mishaps. The memory of Emery's face at the end of that match ought to be motivation enough for the players to avoid tripping up again.

Hannah Gowen, Fan writer

This rejuvenation of Aston Villa's form has consisted of a variety of results - big wins against Champions League rivals, narrow victories over relegation candidates, and a couple of disappointing losses on the road.

One crucial thing that Unai Emery has managed to implement is the ability to win games even when performances have been suboptimal.

At a time when Aston Villa's only dedicated striker is suffering from a goal drought, and the club are ranking near bottom for several creative stats, the team has stepped up and conjured goals from across the park, including an influx from outside the penalty area.

Sometimes it is more clinical and polished than others. Other times it takes one moment of class and the ability to weather the storm in order to pick up points.

While Aston Villa continue to churn out results, in one way or another, they seem to be going under the radar.

Read the full column on the BBC Sport website

Elsewhere tonight Irish football hero Troy Parrott starts for AZ Alkmaar against Shelbourne in the Conference League (also 17:45 GMT). Coming up against the fans who would have been idolising him a week or so ago.

Image source, Getty Images

These sides have met only once before - last season. Villa won 3-0 in Switzerland in their opening Champions League game.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Alex Pewter, Fan writer

It is clear that goals and assists still dominate the basic analysis of player performances. Whether that is a fantasy football-influenced situation, it is the sole critique anyone could hold over Adam Wharton.

So, in a week where he finally made his full competitive debut for England, and a well-deserved one at that, it was additionally pleasing for his name to appear in the assist column. Often, the central pairing in an Oliver Glasner team is involved in the scoring but a step or two back in the action.

The elite academies in England still favour the biggest, strongest or fastest athletes, none of the boxes that Wharton necessarily ticks. His journey with his boyhood team, Blackburn Rovers, to a lesser Premier League side has allowed him to grow and develop his own style, built on vision, anticipation and an incredibly mature understanding of the game.

To use a heavily Ashes-influenced analogy, Wharton feels like a throwback, a technical and cerebral batsman suited to Test matches, in an era fixated on power-hitting and Twenty20.

So, that makes him feel like a unique footballer, paired with a manager who isn't obsessed with systematic play or ball retention, Wharton has the platform to play aggressively and pass expansively with freedom – a perfect combination.

Read the full column on the BBC Sport website

Image source, Getty Images

Pat Riddell, Fan writer

Obviously it is still early days, but the confidence Saturday's historic win [at Liverpool] brings will make a big difference. The willingness to defend with all their might, to not even concede a yellow card, to stick to the game plan and to comfortably attack at will is precisely where we need to be - the rest will follow.

There are clearly issues to resolve - which will start on Thursday in the Europa League reunion with Malmo - but balancing the squad in league and cup, getting the new players' form and understanding up to speed, and developing the tactics are things that will come with time.

For now, we can believe that Dyche will deliver results and we can start looking up the table, rather than over our shoulder. The bottom three might only be just behind us but, as I said last week, a few wins and other results going our way will dramatically affect the table.

It is just that nobody foresaw Liverpool sliding down while we picked up momentum.

The City Ground can be a fortress once again.

Read the full column on the BBC Sport website

Young Boys have failed to win on any of their six European visits to England (D2 L4), only avoiding defeat in draws with Liverpool (2-2 in Europa League, November 2012) and Man Utd (1-1 in Champions League, December 2021).

We will also bring you updates from the other 17:45 GMT games in the Europa and Conference League including Celtic's trip to Feyenoord.

Martin O'Neill's last game possibly. Until he rocks up at the age of 89 for another spell.

You will be able to follow that game especially on a BBC Scotland live text - which you can find here.

Aston Villa have won three of their four Europa League matches so far this season - only losing at Go Ahead Eagles.

They start the day sixth in the 36-team table.

Young Boys have conceded the most of any side in the Europa League this season (10).

Since the start of 2024-25 they've shipped 34 goals in 12 major European matches (including 24 in the Champions League) - more than anyone else.

The Harvey Elliott situation was brought up in Unai Emery's pre-match news conference yesterday.

The 22-year-old, on a season-long loan at Villa from Liverpool, has not played since 2 October.

But because he also played for the Reds this season he cannot play for another team this season - unless he moves to a summer league like the MLS.

Asked if he has a future at Villa, Emery said: "We now have a lot of matches. We must focus on each match with the players we have now.

"We are not thinking about the transfer window in January. He is one of our players and hopefully he can help us. Then, we are going to decide."

"There are other players performing very well. This is the first argument of why he is not playing. He is training very well every day."

He's on the bench today.

Image source, Getty Images

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

It has been nine wins in 11 games now for Aston Villa, putting them in a Champions League qualifying place and into a top-eight slot in the Europa League table.

During the early weeks of the campaign, the results maybe lagged a little behind some of the performances. Now it is the other way round and they are on course for their overall targets for this season.

Villa played the Swiss side Young Boys last year in the Champions League and, after adjusting to the artificial pitch in Bern, won comfortably.

This match looks straightforward but so did the Go Ahead Eagles game, one of Villa's few recent mishaps. The memory of Emery's face at the end of that match ought to be motivation enough for the players to avoid tripping up again.