View 2 Images

With 700 police officers and five planned protests, tonight is not an ordinary Aston Villa match.

Villa will play at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv, but before a ball has been kicked, there were changes off the pitch.

A huge increased police presence is a result of West Midlands Police banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the stadium.

READ MORE: Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv protests start early as police prepare security ring of steel

READ MORE: Aston Villa v Maccabi live as fans face string of protests before match

Police made the decision last month and said allowing away fans would be 'high risk' after a 'thorough' assessment.

While there are no away fans in attendance, a number of protests against the Israeli club will continue and in response a number of local s

See Full Page