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Aston Villa travel to Iceland to meet FC Hafnafjordur in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup on Thursday knowing fully well that the last time they met an Icelandic side at this stage, they went on to win the competition. Let us take a look at some team news before watching the Villains live in action at the UEFA Cup.

 

 

Martin O’Neill’s side qualified for the UEFA Cup by beating Danish side Odense 3-2 on aggregate in the Intertoto Cup. However they will be without the services of Wilfred Bouma, whose horrific ankle injury ensures that he will be on the sidelines for anywhere between 4-6 months, if not more. O’Neill also has a tricky decision to make about Gareth Barry - fielding the Hastings born player would make him ineligible to play for Liverpool in the Champions League. The likes of Carew, Agbonlahor and Young will look to exploit any sloppiness on part of the Icelandic side. Sidwell, Petrov and Reo Coker will provide midfield support.

FC Hafnafjordur ended Dunfermline’s European dreams in 2004-05. They won the Icelandic First Division in 2004,2005 and 2006 before finishing runners up to Valur Rejkjavik last season. Their last league game saw them beat Keflavik 2-1 to establish a four point lead at the top of the table. Arnar and Bjarki Gunlaugsson are two past Hafnafjordur players Martin O’Neill will recognise well. The twins used to play for Leicester City before returning to their native land in 2006. This season, they moved from Hafnafjordur to Akranes. They qualified for the UEFA Cup by beating Fjolnir in the final of the Visa-Bikar and routed Luxembourg’s Grevenmacher 8-3 on aggregate in the first qualifying round

 

 

A win here would help boost Villa’s morale prior to their Premiership opener against Manchester City. They came out with a draw in Denmark against Odense, and should they do the same in Iceland, they can consider themselves favourites for the next round at Villa Park.

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