Simon Mignolet has warned his Brugge teammates about 'completely different' Aston Villa
Aston Villa visit Club Brugge in their fourth Champions League fixture of the season this coming week
Club Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has warned that the challenge which awaits him and his teammates in the form of Aston Villa in the Champions League this coming week will not be anything like what the Belgian giants come up against in the Pro League on a weekly basis.
Former Liverpool stopper and Belgium international Mignolet is into his sixth season back in his native country, after nine years in England and the Premier League with Liverpool and Sunderland before that. During that time, the veteran has remained Brugge's first choice option between the sticks and he has played routinely in the Champions League this year, too.
Mignolet and Brugge are in second place in the Pro League, although seven points off runaway leaders Genk. That gap is a consequence of a sticky beginning to the campaign, but they have since picked up and have posted three straight league victories. In Europe they have found the leap in quality a little difficult - although they secured a win in Switzerland against Sturm Graz, they have been beaten by both Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan.
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Villa, who are top of the league in the Champions League after three wins and three clean sheets against Young Boys, Bayern Munich and Bologna, visit Belgium - as Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans return home - on Wednesday, eager to return to winning ways after a difficult and winless domestic week.
Mignolet knows that Villa, who he came up against on multiple occasions while in England's top flight, are a force to be reckoned with and while inferior opponents will pay respect to Brugge in the Pro League, European competitiors mightn't be as accommodating. Mignolet, 36, believes that that dynamic could lend itself to a more open affair, however - and that'd suit Brugge.
“I think there is still a minimal difference with the real top clubs in England, but it is true that Aston Villa competes for the prizes every year,” Mignolet told reporters in Belgium. “It is a completely different match than in the league. It will be much more open. We're going to find ourselves in a completely different scenario against Aston Villa.
"Villa have proven to be a stable and competitive team in recent years. I know from experience that even the lowest in the Premier League can be a tough opponent. So it certainly won't be an easy game."