Following their surge up the Premier League standings to secure European football last season, Aston Villa get preparations for the 2023-24 campaign under way when they visit Walsall on Saturday.
In a traditional friendly contest between the two West Midlands clubs, Villa will arrive at Bescot Stadium with one eye already on their top-flight opener against Newcastle United; meanwhile, their hosts are readying themselves for a fifth straight year in League Two.
Match preview
Having made a remarkable impact at Villa Park since moving to Birmingham late last year, Unai Emery now looks forward to his first full season in charge of Aston Villa, which will kick off in less than a month.
Emery's Villans qualified for the Europa Conference League in May, after posting the club's best league finish for over a decade: victory on the final day saw them end 2022-23 on a high, securing seventh and a long-awaited return to continental football.
Therefore, expectations have been raised in the claret-and-blue half of England's second city, as Emery has certainly shown he can get the most out of an expensively-assembled squad that joined Brighton in upsetting the Premier League's established order.
Villa's Basque boss, who has overhauled the team's approach since succeeding Steven Gerrard, is now demonstrating his commitment to push for more: bringing in two signings of some pedigree already this summer: free transfer Youri Tielemans and reported £33m buy Pau Torres will complement a squad which recently returned to training at Bodymoor Heath and now aim to start pre-season with a positive performance.
For the first game of their warm-up schedule - which also features a trip to the USA - Villa will not have to travel far, meeting Walsall at nearby Bescot Stadium, where they will also take on Serie A side Lazio early next month.
The links between two neighbours of very different stature do not end there, as Bescot also plays host to Aston Villa Women's home fixtures and pre-season meetings are an unofficial fixture on both teams' summer schedule.
In four of the clubs' encounters over the past five years, Villa have handed out four-goal beatings to Walsall, and during the past decade the Saddlers have only twice avoided defeat in eight attempts.
Mat Sadler's current team have already had a run-out ahead of this weekend's game, facing Leamington on Tuesday, when goals from Danny Johnson, Isaac Hutchinson and a Douglas James-Taylor brace secured a 4-1 away win.
Also set to tackle another local rival, Solihull Moors, later this month, Walsall are ultimately eyeing a quick start in League Two, where a trip to Morecambe awaits on the opening day. Three days later, the Saddlers return to Lancashire for an EFL Cup first round tie with Championship club Blackburn Rovers.
Ahead of their return to competitive action, several new recruits will be seeking to impress ex-Birmingham City defender Sadler, who was appointed as permanent successor to former boss Michael Flynn in May.
Team News
While most of Aston Villa's main men are expected to play a part on Saturday, Philippe Coutinho has been in his home country of Brazil working with a personal fitness trainer and will miss out.
Unai Emery has not indicated whether Youri Tielemans or Pau Torres are available to feature against Walsall, but both will fly out to the United States for the upcoming Premier League Summer Series, in which Newcastle, Fulham and Brentford will be Villa's opponents.
In addition to the squad that finished last season so strongly, Cameron Archer returns from an impressive loan stint at Middlesbrough. However, the Walsall-born striker has been involved in England's European Under-21 Euros triumph this summer, so either Ollie Watkins or Jhon Duran is more likely to start up front.
The hosts, meanwhile, offered chances to several potential stars of the future against Leamington on Tuesday, including 16-year-old Tom Owen and fellow first-year scholar Dylan Thomas.
Now stepping up substantially in quality of opposition, Walsall boss Mat Sadler's XI on Saturday is set to be more familiar, though recent arrivals Priestly Farquharson, Ryan Stirk, and Chris Hussey could all be involved.
Earlier this year, Lincoln City forward Freddie Draper enjoyed a successful loan spell in the League of Ireland with Drogheda United - where he registered eight goals and three assists in 21 games - and having now agreed a temporary move to Bescot Stadium, the 18-year-old will compete for a place in attack.
Club captain Donervon Daniels recently extended his stay with the Saddlers by signing a new two-year contract and should start in central defence.
Walsall possible starting lineup:
Barrett; Riley, Daniels, McEntee, Hussey; Stirk, Maher, Comley; Hutchinson, Matt, Onabirekhanlen
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Sinisalo; Cash, Chambers, Carlos, Chrisene; Iroegbunam, Dendoncker; Philogene, J. Ramsey, A. Ramsey; Duran
We say: Walsall 1-3 Aston Villa
At the very start of their preparations for the 2023-24 campaign, Aston Villa will have to shake off some rust - and they could also name a fairly unfamiliar starting XI. Walsall can therefore put up a brief fight against their Premier League counterparts, even if they are still set to suffer another defeat in this fixture.
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