Basel vs Aston Villa Pre-Match Thread

[eye digress]

With our home record we'd definitely prefer being home second in every round. Last season showed how big a difference it made against PSG.

Not the most convincing example, to be honest!

We won 3-2

Yes. But the question is whether playing the return leg at home has a beneficial impact on the outcome of the tie. We probably all instinctively agree that it does, or that we would prefer it. But in the PSG example, we lost the tie.

The broader question being, to what extent is securing home advantage in the return legs through to the final worth using minutes in the legs of first teamers?

[Garyth]

The broader question being, to what extent is securing home advantage in the return legs through to the final worth using minutes in the legs of first teamers?

I personally think it's over-stated.

The real benefit is being able to judge early whether to start second-string players in the second leg (and/or sub them on earlier in the first leg if you're up by 2+ goals). If you're away in the 2nd leg you kind of have to start a strong team even if you're well ahead in the tie, just to ensure the home team doesn't get any momentum.