These two clubs have only ever met once before, this in the Intertoto Cup in 2001, drawing 1-1 at St. Jakob-Park, before Aston Villa won 4-1 in the Midlands.
The Villans have won only one of three previous trips to Switzerland; Basel have actually won five of their last ten home matches against Premier League opposition.
Basel vs Aston Villa preview
Aston Villa kick off third in the humungous Europa League table, so will they move three points closer to a place in the round of 16? So far in the league phase, Unai Emery's team have enjoyed four wins out of five, with Donyell Malen's double downing BSC Young Boys at Villa Park a fortnight ago. This followed on from victories over Bologna, Feyenoord and Maccabi Tel Aviv, their sole slip up a shock 2-1 defeat against Go Ahead Eagles at De Adelaarshorst. With games against Fenerbahçe and RB Salzburg to come in January, Villa are firmly on course to cruise into the top eight.
Meantime, in the Premier League, the Claret and Blue Army are flying right now. On Saturday, Emery's side beat league-leaders Arsenal 2-1 at Villa Park, with Buendía lashing home the winner, with what proved to be the last kick of the afternoon, sparking wild celebrations in the Holte End. The Villans have therefore won five successive league matches, as well as nine of their last ten, the club's best top-flight form since 1919, so they are third, just three points adrift top spot. Here, before a claret clash with West Ham United on Sunday, will the Villa feel-good factor continue at St. Jakob-Park?
As for FC Basel, they won eight successive Swiss Super League titles during the 2010s, before reclaiming the trophy for the first time in eight years back in May. Right now, the RotBlau are third, seven points adrift surprise leaders Thun, following Sunday's last-gasp victory over Winterthur.
Meantime, Basel have been European regulars for almost two decades now, reaching the Europa League semi-finals in 2013 and the Conference League last four a decade later. This season, they were denied a Champions League return by København, ousted in the play-offs, while their form in this league phase has been mixed. Basel have lost all three away matches, beaten by Freiburg, Olympique Lyonnais and Genk, but have won both home matches, enjoying wins over Stuttgart and Steaua București. Thus, they will be no push-overs, but Aston Villa have to be favourites to win.
Basel vs Aston Villa head-to-head record
- Matches Played: 2.
- Basel Wins: Zero. Draws: 1. Aston Villa Wins: 1.
Basel team news
A few familiar faces in the Basel team, including former West Ham and Celtic striker Albian Ajeti as well as veteran goalkeeper Marwin Hitz, once of Borussia Dortmund.
Defensive midfielder Metinho, formerly of the City Football Group, is very highly-rated.
Basel predicted lineup vs Aston Villa: (4-2-3-1): Hitz; Tsunemoto, Adjetey, Daniliuć, Schmid; Metinho, Leroy, Traoré, Shaqiri, Otele; Ajeti.
Basel player to watch vs Aston Villa
12 years after leaving the club, Xherdan Shaqiri rejoined Basel in 2024, firing them to the Swiss Super League title, scoring 18 goals and registering 21 assists in 34 league appearances last season.
So far in this campaign, he has bagged 11 goals, including a brace during the win over FCSB last month, so can Shaqiri now score against Aston Villa for the very first time?
Aston Villa team news
Unai Emery has started to rotate his team a bit more in the Europa League, ahead of the hectic festive schedule, so expect a few changes here, with Tyrone Mings the only player injured.
Marco Bizot could get the nod in goal, after Emi Martínez suffered a back injury during the warm-up at Brighton last mid-week, thereby forced to withdraw at the 11th hour.
Out-field, Victor Lindelöf, Lamare Bogade, Jadon Sancho and weekend match-winner Emi Buendía could all come in, while Andrés García is hoping to feature for the first time since 4 April due to injury. Out of favour Harvey Elliott has not played a single minute since 2 October in Rotterdam.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Basel: (4-3-3): Bizot; Cash, Lindelöf, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Bogarde, McGinn; Buendía, Sancho, Malen.
Aston Villa player to watch vs Basel
Donyell Malen's double against Young Boys took his tally to seven for the season, including three in his last two Europa League outings, so will he down another Swiss side here?
Basel vs Aston Villa prediction
Even if Unai Emery does heavily rotate, we believe Aston Villa will prove to be simply too strong for Basel at St. Jakob-Park, the Villans continuing their excellent winning streak: Basel 0-2 Aston Villa.
Basel vs Aston Villa FAQs - UEFA Europa League
How to watch Basel vs Aston Villa in the Europa League on TV channel?
Basel vs Aston Villa in the Europa League will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 1.
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Basel vs Aston Villa in the Europa League on live streaming?
Basel vs Aston Villa in the Europa League will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Basel vs Aston Villa in the Europa League?
Basel vs Aston Villa takes place on Thursday 11 December 2025, with kick off at 20:00 (GMT), 15:00 (ET) & 12:00 (PT).