Aston Villa

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

While it is important to pick out local derbies and great away days, the reality of modern football is figuring out who you will be playing after European games in the 2025-26 Premier League fixtures.

Upon the release of the schedule on Wednesday, one Villa supporter told us that this season's selections "look winnable".

If that happens, it will be welcome relief after Unai Emery's side struggled for points after Champions League group stage games in 2024-25.

In fact, they picked up just one win from the eight games, leaving them with a win percentage of just 12.5%.

However, there were difficult opponents in those run of games, including away at eventual champions Liverpool and top-five chasing Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.

This season, it is six home games and three matches against teams that finished last term in the bottom half as well as a game with promoted Burnley.

Sure, they will now have to contend with a Thursday-Sunday schedule, which some teams have struggled with in the past, but Villa had no issue with that two years ago when they qualified from the Champions League.

And, given the nature of their post-Europe opponents, they can perhaps take further comfort from hopefully being fresher when facing the teams they expect to be competing with for Champions League spots again.

Chelsea retain an interest in England midfielder Morgan Rogers, 22, should Aston Villa be open to a sale. (Mail+ - subscription required)

Meanwhile, Villa are willing to sell 28-year-old midfielder Emi Buendia if they receive a bid in excess of £20m for the Argentine. (Caught Offside), external

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Following the release of the 2025-26 Premier League fixtures, we asked for your thoughts on Aston Villa's schedule.

Here are some of your comments:

Taylor: Nice spread of games for almost all the season, with the exception of the very last two matches, which are horrendous. If we have not established ourselves in the Champions League places by the start of April, we are unlikely to get there at the wire.

Simon: Villa's start looks OK so hopefully we will be top four after the first seven games. December looks tough playing Brighton, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal twice. Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City as three of the final four fixtures makes a difficult end to the season.

Dave: Absolutely abysmal run-in if we need to finish strong, like we have needed to the past few years. We play everyone twice, sure. But Liverpool, Tottenham and City in May is brutal. At least our games after our Europa League fixtures look winnable.

Ian: Well, on paper it looks like a good set of early fixtures and I would like to think we can be up in the top six, if not even the top four. The only thing I would say is that we are away again on the last day! How come?

Jack: We took 16 points from six games in the equivalent fixtures last season. Have to aim for similar. Newcastle at home is tough and Crystal Palace seem to have our number but I think we can take 14-16 points. A good start will be massive if we are to finish in the top five.

Will: I think the start isn't bad and with a couple of additions we will have the depth to compete on all fronts if we can avoid major injuries - unlike last year. My concern is the Christmas period and the final few games where we have tough runs. We will need a strong start to push for top four this season.

Opta has ranked the difficulty of each top-flight team's first five Premier League fixtures of the 2025-26 season.

According to Opta's model, Manchester United have the hardest start, followed by their opening-weekend opponents Arsenal and then Bournemouth.

Aston Villa's first five games have been ranked the easiest, alongside Crystal Palace.

Take a look below to see where your side places...

Image source, Getty Images

Fans have been warned by the Premier League that fixtures could be moved at "relatively short notice" next season because of the number of teams playing in Europe.

A record nine top-flight clubs have qualified for continental competition in the 2025-26 campaign.

The Premier League said there is an "increased likelihood" that games will be re-scheduled if English teams reach the latter stages and it suggested fans take this into consideration when planning their attendance at games.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham will be playing in the Champions League next season.

Aston Villa and Crystal Palace have qualified for the Europa League, while Nottingham Forest will be playing in the Conference League.

"While the Premier League celebrates this success, it will come with an impact on the scheduling of league matches," a statement from the Premier League said.

"There is an increased likelihood of Premier League fixtures moving at relatively short notice, after our fixture announcements, should our clubs progress to the knockout rounds of these competitions."

Aside from the opening weekend's game against Newcastle United and the final fixture of the season at Manchester City, all dates are subject to change as a result of broadcast and other requirements.

See Aston Villa's full fixture list here

Image source, Getty Images

The first West Midlands derby of the 2025-26 Premier League season will be at Villa Park on the weekend of 29-30 November.

Unai Emery's side will then travel to Molineux to face Wolves at the end of February.

Villa will travel defending champions Liverpool on the weekend of 1-2 November, with the reverse fixture scheduled for the penultimate weekend in May.

And what about the schedule over Christmas and New Year? Well, Aston Villa's festive fixtures include home games against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, plus two trips to London to face Chelsea and Arsenal.

Finally, the Villans will close their campaign at Manchester City on Sunday, 24 May 2026 - when all 10 matches will kick off at 16:00 BST.

Looking at the fixture list, where do you think Emery's side will be after 10 games? Have your say here

Aston Villa will host Newcastle United in their opening game of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

The match will take place on Saturday, 16 August at 12:30 BST, with Villa's first away fixture against Brentford on the weekend of 23-24 August.

See Aston Villa's Premier League fixtures in full here

Where do you think Villa will be after 10 games and what do you make of how the fixtures have fallen? Tell us here

Aston Villa and Leeds United are keen on 21-year-old Strasbourg and Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra. (Sports Mole), external

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Our chief football writer Phil McNulty has been taking your questions.

Dom asked: Asking as an Aston Villa fan, what exactly do you think will be going on at Villa Park this summer? Are we in danger of PSR again and how could that limit our sustained push for more European football?

Phil McNulty: Villa will certainly have to trade smartly this summer to keep on the right side of PSR, and I do sympathise with those at Villa Park who almost feel it is a penalty for breaking the glass ceiling into the top four the season before last.

It required the sale of Douglas Luiz to Juventus for £42m late on last August to ensure they were on the right side of PSR.

The fact they did not achieve Champions League football for next season is, of course, another blow.

There is already talk keeper Emi Martinez could leave, while Villa would part with Leon Bailey. Jacob Ramsey has been linked with Spurs, but Villa and their fans would find the sale of the talented local boy close to unpalatable.

Morgan Rogers is regarded as untouchable, but there will be sales.

What you can be sure of is that manager Unai Emery, and Villa's ambitious hierarchy, will have a plan in place, but it would have been a lot easier had they been able to get Champions League football next season.

Villa are in safe hands and will remain competitive.

Follow more from the Q&A with Phil here

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As the transfer window is now open again until 1 September, we asked for you to tell us one player you want Aston Villa to sign, and another who needs to be sold.

Here are some of your comments:

Mike: Sell Ollie Watkins and go and get Arnaud Kalimuendo from Rennes as a younger replacement.

Rob: Sign Jadon Sancho for that problem right-wing position, and sell Leon Bailey as he has not been good or consistent enough.

Kane: I would sell Emi Martinez and bring in Joan Garcia. Emi has been a legend for Villa and one of our key players but it is time for him to move on so we should cash in now. Garcia looks great and is only 24 years old.

Lee: I would sell Bailey and bring in Jesus Rodriguez in from Real Betis.

J: Matty Cash has hit his ceiling, and although he has a great work ethic on the pitch, his ability is holding us back in the right-back position. Bailey has struggled to hit the levels of last season and with Saudi clubs showing interest, it is a no-brainer to take up on the opportunity and bring a new winger in.

Prit: Sorry to say, but I think Villa will be mostly onlookers in this transfer window. The draconian PSR rules, capitulating against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals and not turning up at Old Trafford for the final league game of the season will very much dictate what business we will be doing.

Atletico Madrid will target Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne if they do not sign Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson. (Times - subscription required), external

Meanwhile, Villa, Arsenal, Athletic Bilbao, Marseille, Inter Milan, and Napoli have all shown interest in 31-year-old Al-Nassr and Spain defender Aymeric Laporte, who used to play for Manchester City. (AS - in Spanish), external

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No sooner does the season finish and we start looking forward to key dates for the next campaign - and that will be a lot easier to do on Wednesday when the Premier League fixtures are released.

That's right, that special day in the calendar is almost here already. The day when you'll learn details of derby fixtures, Christmas opponents and end-of-season run-ins.

This page will bring you all the fixtures when they drop at 09:00 BST on Wednesday and we'll be giving you the chance to have your say on how things look.

The new campaign kicks off on the weekend of Saturday, 16 August and it will conclude on Sunday, 24 May 2026, when all 10 games will take place at the same time.

The transfer window is open again for summer business to be conducted.

Clubs can now strike deals until the deadline at 19:00 BST on 1 September.

So if you can sell one player, who is it? And if you can buy one player only, who gets the nod?

Give us reasons for your choice but remember, in this instance it's a strict one player leaving and one coming in.

Send your selections here

Aston Villa, Chelsea and Tottenham are all keeping tabs on Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, 20, after the Argentine was told to find a new club. (Mail), external

Arsenal will focus on trying to sign Villa's England forward Ollie Watkins, 29. (Record - in Portuguese), external

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It does feel like Aston Villa will have to sell some key players this summer if they are to bring others in and keep within PSR regulations.

There has been a lot of rumours around it and I believe Jacob Ramsey was a name being mentioned who, as a homegrown player, they would make more money from.

It is difficult, and with homegrown players, it is disappointing they are the ones who are sacrificed for these Financial Fair Play rules. You can have a lot of good, young, talented homegrown players coming through, but you know they will be talked about and possibly sold in transfer windows.

Rumours are there at Aston Villa at the moment - and when the rumours are there, they are usually there for a reason. If they want to freshen things up a little bit, then I think they are going to have to offload to do that.

The disappointing thing is that the players they are going to have to offload are probably ones that the the club do not want to lose.

You look at Ollie Watkins, for example. You know he is a player who is going to get you 10-plus goals this season, and having lost Jhon Duran in the winter, who are you going to get to replace what Watkins gives you if he leaves?

They do have squad depth and there is a lot of quality in there, but there are some players who are just more difficult to replace than others.

Losing Watkins would probably have a bigger impact on the team than losing any other player.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

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Aston Villa have announced the appointment of James Shan as the club's new Under-21 head coach, with current boss Josep Gombau set for an exit this summer.

Shan has been Villa's Under-18 head coach since last summer, winning the Under-18 Premier League national title and FA Youth Cup with the age group.

Gombau was appointed to the role in January 2024 and led Villa's Under-21s to the Round of 16 of the Uefa Youth League.

President of Football Operations Monci, said on the move: "The club is very excited by the talent of our academy players.

"Jimmy has shown his ability to conduct and develop players with the Under-18s winning the league and the FA Youth Cup and we look forward to watching him work with our Under-21s."

Aston Villa, Newcastle and Tottenham are monitoring developments with Jadon Sancho, 25, after the England winger's return to Manchester United following his loan spell at Chelsea. (Sun), external

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Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

Of all the blizzard of statistics measuring Youri Tielemans' season for Aston Villa, this number particularly stands out.

In the most competitive area of a squad growing in depth around him, Tielemans started 52 of Villa's 57 competitive games, more than anyone else except Morgan Rogers.

Until a minor injury finally interrupted his season in May, Tielemans had started every game except the two Carabao Cup matches, for which Unai Emery made more radical team changes.

In arguably the deepest high-quality squad in the club's history, Tielemans was the go-to guy.

"He's our best player by a mile this season," said John McGinn in a TNT Sports interview last month.

"His first year was a bit stop-start, but he's a huge player for us and he's versatile - he can play as a 10, eight or six."

Tielemans' status at Villa has transformed over the past 18 months.

After his arrival, he spent the first third of the Premier League season as a substitute. Then, after finally working his way into the first XI - starting both of the statement wins over Manchester City and Arsenal in December 2023 – a calf injury set him back for a month.

But his status had been established, and once fit again, he was rarely left out.

"Last year was very important in how he adapted to us, and how he was understanding how we wanted to build with him," said Unai Emery in January.

"This year, he's playing consistently, again in different positions because he is a versatile player."

That word again: versatile. There is room for specialists in an Emery squad, but he has depended most heavily on players like Tielemans, McGinn and Rogers - footballing Swiss Army knives he can deploy in different roles as the situation demands.

Villa's two full seasons under Emery have run to 56 and 57 games and, given the Spaniard's record in Europe - and the Europa League in particular - they could easily match that total again in 2025-26.

The strength of Villa's squad comes not only from depth, but flexibility.

But Profit and Sustainability Rules are not flexible. Like last summer, at least one top-liner will surely have to go if Villa are to limbo under the PSR bar again.

Tielemans' arrival as a "free" - in transfer-fee terms - would make selling him a profitable prospect.

His record last season would command a significant fee. That same record, though, makes him perhaps the most difficult man in the squad to replace, and selling him the hardest to countenance.

Tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

Alex Fletcher
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

"I think he's one of the leaders on the field," Unai Emery said of Youri Tielemans in April, with the Aston Villa boss describing the Belgian as "very important" to how his side plays.

After struggling in his first season in the West Midlands, Tielemans had a point to prove in 2024-25.

And, although Villa missed out on Champions League football on the final day, the 28-year-old has made his presence felt in the heart of midfield over the past nine months.

But how has he done it?

Nothing illustrates the change in his role more than the amount of time he has spent on the pitch.

In his first season at Villa Park, he played just 1,620 minutes in the Premier League, waiting until November for his first Premier League start.

Last season - despite featuring in just four more games - Tielemans nearly doubled the amount, playing 3,032 minutes.

His versatility is a key asset, with Emery able to deploy him in several of the different central midfield positions and even occasionally on the left-hand side.

He even ended up as Villa's third top goalscorer despite scoring only three times, following the departure of Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr.

Nevertheless, his influence in the final third focuses more on his ability to break down the opposition, and he created more chances (61) than any other Aston Villa player this season.

That number put him ninth overall across all players in the Premier League and is a significant improvement on his first year at the club where he only created 18 opportunities.

Add to that his 2,517 touches - again highest for his team-mates - and it merely emphasises his impact.

At the other end of the pitch, Tielemans has been just as impressive.

Not only has he won possession the most times (145), but he also made the most tackles (84) across the entire season, with the latter number more than doubling his tally from the previous year.

With his dual ability to play high up the pitch, and to drop deep to win the ball back, it seems pretty clear Tielemans' improvement has made him one of Villa's most important players under Unai Emery.

If he were to leave this summer, it would be a damaging blow for hopes of a Champions League return next season.

Manchester United hold bragging rights as the most popular Premier League club across social platforms, according to CIES Football Observatory., external

Ranking third overall behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, Manchester United total 233.6 million subscribers and followers across X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

Rivals Manchester City are second highest out of Premier League clubs and fifth overall with 179.5m, with Liverpool (166.7m) and Chelsea (152.9m) just behind.

Arsenal also make the global top 10 with 114.1m, meaning there are five English teams inside the top 10.

Spurs just miss out in 11th with 108.1m, but they did gain an extra 700,000 followers over their North London rivals since June 2024.

A total of 15 English clubs make the top 100, with Leeds United squeezing into the 100th spot with 6.4m.

While fans may not sing about social media followers, global interest has a hand in paying the bills at their beloved football clubs.