Aston Villa should be worried by Feyenoord gem who scored the same number of goals as Erling Haaland last season
Aston Villa will have to be at their best defensively to earn their second consecutive win in the Europa League.
Villa beat Bologna 1-0 last time out in Europe, thanks to John McGinn’s first-half strike, which helped them turn their fortunes around.
Before beating the Italian side, Unai Emery’s men had not earned a victory across any competition this term.
Villa subsequently went on to defeat Fulham 3-1 in their last Premier League outing, thanks to goals from Ollie Watkins, McGinn, and Emi Buendia.
Feyenoord’s Sem Steijn can cause Aston Villa plenty of problems
Aston Villa are scouting Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor as they vie to progress in both the Premier League and Europa League.
But Emery should be concerned by Feyenoord attacking midfielder Sem Steijn, who scored 31 goals across all competitions for his former club FC Twente last season.
| Sem Steijn in Eredivisie 2025-26 | Stats |
| Appearances | 9 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.49 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Expected assists (xA) | 1.36 |
| Assists | 1 |
The forward’s contributions put him a par with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, who also netted 31 goals in all competitions.
Steijn has adjusted well to his new surroundings, with three goals in six Eredivisie outings this term.
Lamare Bogarde also set for a big test
McGinn picked up an injury in Villa’s win over Fulham, and Emery may not want to risk aggravating his captain’s fitness issue ahead of their Premier League clash with Burnley.
The West Midlands club are still in desperate need of putting more points on the board in the top flight, which could mean that they favour Lamare Bogarde and Boubacar Kamara in the deep-lying midfield role over McGinn.
Bogarde has still made just 23 senior appearances for Aston Villa, so facing one of the Netherlands’ biggest clubs away from home on Thursday, 2 October, is a major responsibility for the versatile 21-year-old.
The presence of the prolific Steijn in Feyenoord’s frontline makes the former Bristol Rovers man’s potential task even more difficult, and he will need Kamara to perform well alongside him.
A victory over Feyenoord would kickstart Villa’s season, as it would be their third successive win after previously enduring six games without one.