After drawing their home leg against CSKA Moscow 1-1 last week, the Claret and Blue will most likely need to win in the Russian capital to progress.
The big question is: Does Martin O'Neill really want to reach the last 16 of this season's Uefa Cup?
His squad selection appears to give the answer. The gaffer has left out Gareth Barry, Gabby Agbonlahor and Ashley Young along with Brad Friedel, Carlos Cuellar, Stiliyan Petrov, Emile Heskey and James Milner.
Likely starters include Nathan Delfouneso, Moustapha Salifou and Barry Bannan, the young Scottish midfielder. Do those players really have the calibre to win the trickiest of ties?
You would think not and as this competition now seems to be no more than an inconvenience to Villa, you would probably just be hoping for a display of pride and passion from the reserve team.
Optimism
You would also hope that the score is respectable just so that the back four do not have their confidence shattered ahead of important Premier League clashes.
A win would be great, but failing that, Villa fans will be hoping that the game isn't another Zilina.
The fans that have paid good money to go to Moscow deserve better and so do the fans that have spent any money at all on this cup run.
No supporter wants to complain and keep complaining because it is to the detriment of the team.
Villa's army of followers will turn up the volume and turn on the optimism as they look for progression to the next round of the competition.
And should a win not prevail, then they will be happy enough to settle for a morale boosting victory against Stoke on Sunday.