Aston Villa have started the new Premier League season strongly so they will be heading to Switzerland in high spirits. Saturday’s 3-2 comeback win over Everton means Unai Emery’s side have picked up three wins from four in the English top-flight this term.

In contrast, Young Boys are yet to taste victory in six Swiss Super League outings this season so far. Consequently, Patrick Rahmen’s side are currently bottom of the table, so confidence is likely to be fragile in the home camp.

Villa will have earmarked this fixture as one of their more straightforward assignments in this season’s new look Champions League and they should have enough about them to get three points on the board. There are no real household names in the Young Boys squad, whereas Villa’s side is laced with quality, and the visitors’ superior class should ultimately tell.

A visit from Aston Villa will represent Young Boys’ toughest test of the season to date so they may have to revert to the dark arts if they are to pick up a positive result. With that in mind, the Bern-based outfit look worth backing to collect a minimum of two cards on Tuesday evening.

Aston Villa have drawn two or more cards from three of their four Premier League foes this season, including each of their last three opponents. Villa boss Unai Emery has a squad stacked with technically gifted operators, so his side could again find themselves on the receiving end of some rough treatment.

Patrick Rahmen’s side picked up four cards at home in their Champions League qualifier with Galatasaray before receiving a further three in the return match in Turkey. It’s also worth noting that the hosts have received two cards or more in four of their six Swiss Super League games this season so far.

With both teams desperate to hit the ground running in this season’s Champions League, over 3.5 match cards looks likely in what should be a keenly-contested affair in Switzerland. Each of Young Boys’ two games with Galatasaray during qualifying broke the over 3.5 card barrier, with the Turkish giants notably receiving a red card in both games. On the domestic front, the reigning Swiss champions have seen a minimum of four match cards dished out by the referee in five of their six league games this season.

As for Aston Villa, all bar one of their three Premier League games this season have featured fewer than four match bookings. What’s more, match official Georgi Kabakov has flashed a combined total of 16 cards across the three continental contests that he has taken charge of this term to date.

Never one to shy away from a tackle, Young Boys midfielder Sandro Lauper looks worth taking to commit at least one foul on Tuesday evening. The 27-year-old has averaged 1.12 fouls per game in the Swiss top-flight this season, collecting a yellow card in each of his last two outings. He also had his name taken in Young Boys’ 3-2 win over Galatasaray during qualifying.

It’s also worth noting that Lauper has averaged over one foul per game in each of his last two seasons for Young Boys. Expect to see that trend continue this midweek when he goes up against Amadou Onana, who has been fouled eight times across his four Premier League appearances for Aston Villa this season.

While Aston Villa have started the season in impressive fashion, they have found clean sheets hard to come by. In fact, Unai Emery’s side have failed to keep the back door shut in each of their four Premier League outings this season so far, conceding multiple goals on two occasions.

Despite their early season woes, Patrick Rahmen’s side have struck at least once in nine of their 10 outings across all competitions this term. On top of that, both teams have scored in five of the hosts six Swiss Super League assignments this term, suggesting there is plenty of scope for a repeat when they entertain Aston Villa on Tuesday evening.

Goal-heavy games have been a regular occurrence this season to date for these, making over 2.5 goals an appealing option when the pair do battle on matchday one. Young Boys came out on top in a 3-2 thriller when going up against Galatasaray at home during Champions League qualification, not to mention five of their six Swiss Super League fixtures this season so far have featured over 2.5 goals.

Similarly, three of Aston Villa’s four Premier League games this season have produced a minimum of three goals, the most recent of which saw them share five goals with Everton. Thus, given that both sides’ respective strengths would appear to lie in attack, siding with over 2.5 goals makes plenty of sense in the Swiss capital.

Ollie Watkins snapped his barren run in front of goal for Aston Villa by striking twice against Everton on Saturday. With confidence restored, the England international looks a good shout for either a goal or an assist on Tuesday evening.

Watkins registered an assist against Leicester before helping himself to two goals against Everton and he could get more joy in front of goal against a brittle Young Boys backline.

The Swiss hosts have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their six league outings this season, shipping multiple goals in five of those contests. They also leaked two at home to Galatasaray during qualifying, making Watkins a prime candidate to capitalise on that defensive vulnerability with another goal involvement this midweek.

Sandro Lauper has been booked three times across his eight appearances for Young Boys this season. However, it’s worth pointing out that those three cards have been collected across his last four outings.

Given the calibre of opposition that Lauper and co will be coming up against this midweek, he holds plenty of appeal to tackle himself into trouble again here. Given that Lauper has averaged north of one foul per game in the Swiss Super League over the last couple of years, the tough-tackling midfielder regularly finds himself on the referee’s radar.

He was sent off for Young Boys in last season’s Champions League after receiving a second yellow against Man City. With a fiery midfield battle anticipated against opposing midfielder Amadou Onana on Tuesday night, Lauper looks like a strong contender for another caution.