Game #4995
Aston Villa

Thursday, 6 November 2008
Group F
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 | 🟨 |
LB Nicky Shorey | 🏴 |
CB Zat Knight | 🏴 |
CB Carlos Cuéllar | 🇪🇸 |
CB Curtis Davies | 🏴 |
M Craig Gardner | 🏴 | 🟨 |
M Steve Sidwell | 🏴 | 🔥 | 🟨 |
M Moustapha Salifou | 🇹🇬 |
W Ashley Young | 🏴 |
CF John Carew | 🇳🇴 | ⚽ | 🔁 |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 🔁 |
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 | 2006-2010

Substitutes
🔁 M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | for F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 89’ |
🔁 F Nathan Delfouneso | 🏴 | for CF John Carew | 🇳🇴 | 90’ |
Unused Substitutes
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 |
CB Martin Laursen | 🇩🇰 |
RB Luke Young | 🏴 |
M Nigel Reo-Coker | 🏴 |
W Wayne Routledge | 🏴 |
Yellow Cards (Warnings, Cautions, Bookings)
🟨 Craig Gardner (11)
🟨 Steve Sidwell (2)
🟨 Brad Guzan (1)
Red Cards (Ordered from Field of Play, Dismissals, Sendings Off)
Trophy Record
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Matchday Squad
Unavailable
Not recorded
Team News
Martin O'Neill again makes a number of changes for the UEFA Cup with Zat Knight (first start in 7), Craig Gardner (first start in 9), Steve Sidwell (first start in 18), Moustapha Salifou (first start in 7), Curtis Davies (first start in 5) and Brad Guzan (first start in 9) replace James Milner, Luke Young, Brad Friedel, Gareth Barry, Nigel Reo-Coker and Martin Laursen.
Team Stats
Starting XI Average Age
| 25.39 |
Oldest Player |
CF John Carew | 🇳🇴 | 29.19 |
Youngest Player |
M Craig Gardner | 🏴 | 21.96 |
Debut Appearances
None
Final Appearances
None
Scorer(s) | John Carew | 26’ |
Assist(s) | Steve Sidwell | 26' |
Match Timeline
⚽ | 26’ Goal, 1-0, John Carew, Assist by Steve Sidwell
🟨 | 31’ Booking, Craig Gardner
🕒 | HT SK Slavia Prague 0-1 Aston Villa
🟨 | 64’ Booking, Steve Sidwell
🟨 | 85’ Booking, Brad Guzan
🔁 | 89’ Sub off, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Sub on, Gareth Barry
🔁 | 90’ Sub off, John Carew, Sub on, Nathan Delfouneso
🕒 | FT SK Slavia Prague 0-1 Aston Villa
Season | 2008-09 |
Matchday | #20 |
Manager Game | #103 |
Thursday, 6 November 2008

Match Record
Game Record
Manager: Martin O’Neill | 🇬🇧 | County Londonderry, 2006-2010
Referee: Costas Kapitanis | 🇨🇾 | Larnaca, 2008
HT Score: 🟩 1-0
FT Score: 🟩 1-0
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩
Officials
Referee: Costas Kapitanis | 🇨🇾 | Larnaca, 2008
Assistants: Frixos Petrou | 🇨🇾 | Mihalis Soteriou | 🇨🇾 |
Match Stats
Not recorded
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 | 2006-2010
🕒 103 | 🟩 | 41 🟨 | 34 🟥 28 | 1.52
Villa Career Form:
Top 8

UEFA Cup
SK Slavia Prague

Stadion Eden, Praha
Attendance: 20,232
GK Martin Vaniak | 🇨🇿 |
LB David Hubáček | 🇨🇿 | 🔁 |
CB Erich Brabec | 🇨🇿 |
CB Marek Suchý | 🇨🇿 |
RB Matej Krajčík | 🇷🇸 |
M Mickaël Tavares | 🇸🇳 |
M Marek Jarolím | 🇨🇿 |
M Vladimir Šmicer | 🇨🇿 | 🔁 |
M Ladislav Volešák | 🇨🇿 | 🔁 |
M Jaroslav Černý | 🇨🇿 |
CF Tomas Necid | 🇨🇿 |
Karel Jarolím | 🇨🇿 |

Substitutes
🔁 | LB David Hubáček | 🇨🇿 | (W Zdenek Šenkeřík | 🇨🇿 |)
🔁 | M Vladimir Šmicer | 🇨🇿 | (LB Dusan Švento | 🇷🇸 |)
🔁 | M Ladislav Volešák | 🇨🇿 | (M Tijani Belaïd | 🇹🇳 |)
Unused Substitutes
GK Jakub Divis | 🇨🇿 |
CB Martin Latka | 🇨🇿 |
M Petr Janda | 🇨🇿 |
CF Goce Toleski | 🇲🇰 |
Yellow Cards (Warnings, Cautions, Bookings)
None
Red Cards (Ordered from Field of Play, Dismissals, Sendings Off)
Opposition Trophy Record
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
Czech Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Czech Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 2007-08
Opposition Matchday Squad
Opposition Unavailable
Not Recorded
Starting XI
Match Media
On This Day
Villa make it two wins from two in UEFA Cup Group F as they take another step towards progression to the Round of 32.
Villa face SK Slavia Prague for the first time in competitive football, Slavia become the 155th team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 38th continental European opponents and their third from the Czech Republic after their meetings with Baník Ostrava and FK Příbram in previous campaigns.
Brad Guzan keeps his first clean sheet in a Villa shirt on his 2nd appearance to make it W1 D0 L1, 1 Goal Conceded and 1 Clean Sheet.
John Carew contributes his 30th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 59th appearance (57 Starts) to make it W24 D18 L17, 24 Goals, 6 Assists and 9 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 1.90 starts he has made so far in his Villa career.
Steve Sidwell contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 6th appearance to make it W4 D1 L1, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.
Craig Gardner secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 58th appearance (37 Starts) to make it W25 D15 L18, 5 Goals, 1 Assist and 10 Bookings so far in his Villa career.
What they Said
“We were really great in the first half. Maybe we could have scored more goals.
“I think we deserved to win. I believe now that seven points will definitely get us through to the play-off stage scheduled for next spring.
“I think Guzan is a great goalkeeper in the making and I’m delighted he got his work permit, and I think he’s following in a long line of great American goalkeepers.
“I thought he was brilliant and all the things we felt we saw in him when he was in America, we’re delighted they’ve come out.”
Martin O'Neill.
*Aston Villa took a big step towards qualification from Uefa Cup Group F with a narrow win at Slavia Prague.*
Villa took the lead when Steve Sidwell’s shot from just outside the box was deflected in by John Carew.
Ashley Young’s free-kick hit the bar and Carew’s drive was well saved as Villa pushed on, while Brad Guzan saved well to deny Slavia’s Tomas Jarolim.
Matej Krajcik went close with an angled shot and Jarolim was again denied by Guzan as Villa just about held on.
Martin O’Neill’s men found themselves pinned back in the second half as Slavia poured forward but they withstood the pressure to claim a superb win.
With their 100% start to the competition - following the win against Ajax - Villa now sit three points clear of Hamburg at the top of the group.
And impressively, the three points in Prague were achieved by a Villa team showing wholesale changes from the one beaten by Newcastle on Monday.
With six new faces in the line-up, it was perhaps inevitable that Villa would take a little while to find their rhythm.
They might have gone behind but Guzan, in for Brad Friedel, produced a fine double save to deny Cerny and then Nedic.
It stung Villa into a response and they went close to opening the scoring when Craig Gardner’s volley brought a fine reaction save from Vaniak.
Now using the flanks and moving the ball around with greater pace, Villa began to dominate.
And they got the goal they deserved - and a fair slice of luck - when Sidwell’s effort deflected wickedly off Carew to nestle into the bottom corner.
The lead might have been added to but Young’s free-kick hit the bar and Carew’s first time shot was brilliantly beaten away by Vaniak.
And Villa almost paid for not taking their chances when Jarolim went past two defenders in the box and fired in a low shot but Guzan made another fine stop.
That should have been a warning to Villa, but it served only to inject confidence into the hosts.
A cross-shot from Krajcik fizzed past the post as Slavia raised the tempo and Guzan was again called into action to keep out Jarolim’s fierce drive.
With Villa pegged back deep in their own half, their lead was looking more and more vulnerable.
But Necid headed wide and later drove a shot off target as the equaliser continued to prove elusive.
Some desperate defending from Villa just about saw them through - and it leaves them in a strong position after two matches.
*Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill:*
“We were really great in the first half. Maybe we could have scored more goals.
“I think we deserved to win. I believe now that seven points will definitely get us through to the play-off stage scheduled for next spring.”
“I think Guzan is a great goalkeeper in the making and I’m delighted he got his work permit, and I think he’s following in a long line of great American goalkeepers.
“I thought he was brilliant and all the things we felt we saw in him when he was in America, we’re delighted they’ve come out.”