Villa's suffer pre-season defeat against Marseillepublished at 20:20 9 August
20:20 9 August
Image source, Getty Images
Aston Villa lost 3-1 to Marseille in their penultimate pre-season match at the Stade Velodrome on Saturday.
John McGinn equalised for Villa after the hosts took the lead early on but former Arsenal striker Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang scored twice after the break to secure victory.
It means it is now five defeats and two draws in seven pre-season matches for Unai Emery's side.
Villa now travel to Spain face Villarreal in their final pre-season match on Sunday before their Premier League campaign gets underway against Newcastle next weekend (Sat, 12:30 BST).
'It was love at first sight' - fan storiespublished at 15:53 8 August
15:53 8 August
You have been sharing your stories and photos about why you love Aston Villa.
Here is a final selection of your submissions, but do make sure you scroll down this page to see all the best responses from throughout the week:
Image caption,
Alan: My uncle Ken took me to my first match at Villa Park in 1958 when I was 10 years old. It was love at first sight.
My first Villa hero was Peter McParland. He was a tall, fast, exciting winger who scored goals at will – from diving headers to screaming shots. Then later, Alan Deakin, Charlie Aitken, Gary Shaw, Paul McGrath and Gordon Cowans. There have been so many.
Now my daughter, Esme, is a passionate Villa fan. The photo is of Esme with my uncle Ken. Villa till we die!
Espen: I received a slot car track as a Christmas present in the 1960s, and the cars were Aston Martins. Even though Villa played in the second division, it was thanks to the names of the cars that I started supporting Villa.
I'm from Norway and most people here supported Liverpool or Manchester United. I've never regretted choosing Villa.
I was lucky enough to win a trip for two and VIP tickets to a Premier League match. I took my daughter with me, so we ended up in London and saw Arsenal against Villa.
Image caption,
Nigel: As a teenager, my dad took me to Chelsea but I moved to Leamington in 1970, so I decided to change to Villa as there was a bus from Leamington to the ground. My first game was against Swansea, which we won 3-0.
My daughter used to come with me and now my grandsons. Eleven years ago, I was the photographer for a wedding at the Villa. Sadly, the cost of going to every game is getting to much for me as a pensioner
'He's got the potential to be a force' - fans on Guessandpublished at 13:20 8 August
13:20 8 August
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on the signing of Evann Guessand from Nice.
Here are some of your comments:
Steve: A typical Emery signing - he loves a versatile player, not someone who is stuck in one position. I don't know a lot about Guessand but if reports are correct he looks tailor-made for Villa.
Dave: Nice's Player of the Season, a clinical finisher, can take penalties, can work as a makeshift number 10 (adding further depth to our attacking midfield) AND... can hold the ball up front really well and then assist. Do we finally see a potential use of two strikers up front occasionally? Looks exciting!
Patrick: Surely he's Ollie's back-up? Let's just hope he hasn't got a screw loose like Duran (I don't think he's like that luckily).
Paul: We've lacked pace in transition since Diaby left - he brought a lot out of the team around him. Hopefully this will go some way to filling that hole. A decent record of goal involvements which hopefully will only get better under one of the best coaches in the world. Very happy.
Paul: My guess is that he's a direct replacement for Leon Bailey. I've never seen him play so I can't say how successful he'll be, but he's young, plays in a position that needed improvement and cost what seems to be the going rate for good, young European talent. Lets see. In Unai, we trust!
Matt: The permanent replacement for Duran and Rashford. He should give us great versatility to add a cutting edge when we need it, or rest Ollie/Morgan when we want to hold on to a result. I particularly like his stats on winning the ball back, running with it and creating chances so we can keep the pressure on the opponent and off our defence. Combined with his size and pace he's got the potential to be a force - and a bargain - if he can make the leap from Ligue 1 to the Premier League. Fingers crossed.
Why Guessand attracted Villapublished at 11:06 8 August
11:06 8 August
Matthew Hobbs BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Aston Villa have signed Nice forward Evann Guessand for around £26m and he promises to be a versatile acquisition that can help replicate Marcus Rashford's role in Unai Emery's squad.
Like Rashford, the 24-year-old can play across the front line, as well as at number 10. Only 10 of his 30 Ligue 1 starts last season came at centre-forward – he also made eight starts on the right wing and nine as a support striker.
As a result, Guessand provided eight assists in addition to scoring 12 times, all from open play last season. Only five players were involved in more goals in the French top flight.
The nine-cap Ivory Coast international's numbers compare well to those of Ollie Watkins and Rashford, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Villa Park.
Guessand outperformed his expected goals tally by more than either Watkins or Rashford, but the key point of difference is that he is a more prolific dribbler, leading to significantly more involvement in terms of touches on the ball.
Depending on how he is used, Nice's reigning player of the year can also offer more defensively in terms of winning duels and regaining possession – particularly in the opposition third – making him a versatile asset for the campaign ahead.
'I fell in love with the name and the colours' - fan storiespublished at 16:33 7 August
16:33 7 August
This week, we are asking you to share your stories and photos about why you fell in love with Villa.
Here is a selection of your submissions:
Image caption,
Ian: I was born on Dudley Road, grew up in Great Barr and Cannock. My Uncle Gerald took me to my first Villa game against Leicester in 1976 standing in the old Whitton End. The game finished 1-1 and I was hooked instantly.
Next year went to Wembley with Uncle Campbell and was on his shoulder for the whole game.
I have brilliant memories of being in the Holte End in the 70s and 80s.
Dennice: It was 1997 and the Premier League had just come to Ugandan TV screens. There was this game between Aston Villa and Liverpool.
It must have been a Villa home game because firstly it was the colours that I fell in love with. Then the name itself was magical!
I was already a fan of SC Villa,who got their name from Aston Villa apparently too. The name Aston Villa and our colours...it was love at first sight!
By the way, we won that game 2-1.
Image caption,
Steve: I was born in Ladywood in 1958. My dad was a Villa fan, my uncle was a Wolves fan, so one week I would go Villa Park and the next week I would go to Molineux.
I soon realised I was Villa through and through! The photo is my late father'ss 1957 cup flyer signed by players.
Four Premier League goalkeepers nominated for Yasin Awardpublished at 15:31 7 August
15:31 7 August
Image source, Getty Images
Alisson, Emi Martinez, Matz Sels and David Raya have been nominated for the 2025 Yashin Award.
The trophy - named after former Dynamo Moscow goalkeeper and Ballon d'Or winner Lev Yashin - is awarded to the best performing goalkeeper of the previous season.
Alisson won the maiden edition of the award in 2019, while Martinez is looking to pick up the trophy for a third time after winning in both 2023 and 2024. It is a first-time nomination for both David Raya and Matz Sels, who shared the Premier League Golden Glove in 2025.
'It becomes really hard to separate yourself from it'published at 11:44 7 August
11:44 7 August
Nicola Pearson BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Danielle Sarver Coombs
When it comes to our love for a football club, the answer to why we do lies in "both psychological and societal" reasons.
In the first part of her chat with BBC Sport, researcher and co-writer of the Routledge Handbook of Sport Fans and Fandom Danielle Sarver Coombs spoke about the part that identity and tradition play.
And yet when we are caught up in the emotions of a tough defeat or nerves of an important match, we can often ask why we put ourselves through it.
"There are psychological processes at work and physiological ones in terms of how we respond and engage," Sarver Coombs said.
"An example that I always give is when I take the train to work, I go past Arsenal's stadium and I feel literally nothing other than: 'Oh, that's a big building'. Whereas on a train to Manchester, I went by Villa Park and my heart started pounding. I got all excited and was trying to take pictures out the window.
"I had a visceral reaction to this place. We can't pretend we don't have that sort of physical reaction because we do.
"When someone is talking about a controversial decision and I feel myself getting wound up, even though I intellectually know that I can't control it and that it's just a game, my body doesn't know that.
"My gut doesn't know that and so I have this really emotional response and we can't control that."
A 2023 book titled 'Football on the brain: why minds love sport, external' suggests it comes down to 'an understandable and logical consequence of the human mind's natural inclination to find meaning through beliefs... It's a religion as far as the brain is concerned'.
But it not just about what is going on inside the mind but outside influences too.
"There is a sociological element to it because the community part is such a huge driver and benefit for us," Sarver Coombs explains.
"Sociologically, we are driven to be part of communities. We are driven to find our groups that we can be members of. Sport provides a way to do that - this sense that I was chosen to be part of this community and it's something bigger than I am."
As the game expands, unrest among supporters seems to be increasing, but how does that impact this ingrained love for a club?
"You always go through these cycles when the game is changing," Sarver Coombs said.
"Despite all the changes, the traditions remain so strong and it's such a huge draw that it becomes really hard to actually separate yourself from it. Even if you do, it tends to be a short-term separation. You get sucked back in because something happens.
"People don't want that change, but then we adapt to it and continue moving forward."
Browse this page to see lots of fan stories for how you fell in love with your club.
Villa cruise past Roma in pre-season friendlypublished at 07:40 7 August
07:40 7 August
Image source, Getty Images
Aston Villa beat Roma 4-0 at Walsall's Bescot Stadium to earn their second win of the pre-season campaign.
Unai Emery's men were 3-0 up by half-time thanks to goals from Emi Buendia, Jacob Ramsey and Ollie Watkins before Donyell Malen added a fourth in the closing stages of the match.
Twenty two players got minutes for Villa although Morgan Rogers was forced off with an injury just minutes into the second half.
Up next for the Villans is Saturday's match against Marseille, before closing off pre-season with a game against Emery's former club Villarreal the following day.
'Probably 64,990 of them were taller than me!' Fan storiespublished at 16:28 6 August
16:28 6 August
This week, we are asking you to share your stories and photos for why you fell in love with Aston Villa.
Here is a selection of your submissions:
Image caption,
Tony: Taken by my dad to Villa Park on Boxing Day 1945 against Wolves, who won 3-2. Saw nothing of the game as there were 65,000 spectators, about 64,990 were taller than me! I remember standing on something like a slag heap, with just fearsome steel barriers to control the crowd. That was terrifying to an eight-year-old when the crowd surged. Last game (to date, hopefully) was accompanied by my daughter to see Villa beat Nottingham Forest, on 5 April this year. A thoroughly enjoyable experience this time. Some things do change for the better!
Tony: My grandad supported Villa as a kid. He came from India in 1929 and moved to Aston where he met my gran. My first game was in 1974 against Swansea and I have so many personal memories. I have really good European games and am up to 75 different grounds with Villa over the years.
I have met so many lovely people on my travels and some have become my best friends. The best game was the 5-1 win against Liverpool while the worst was the 6-0 loss to Nottingham Forest. My favourite player was Martin Laursen.
Image caption,
Bjorn: Followed Villa since first visit in 1963 at Villa Park sitting in Joe Mercer's office with my dad when 10 years old.
My dad had organised Villa's pre-season tour of Sweden in 1960 (see photo of Villa pendant), after he was the press officer for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden
'Together - they were Villa'published at 12:40 6 August
12:40 6 August
Mike Taylor BBC Radio WM reporter
The two lads saw the microphone and wandered over.
They moved slowly, physically tired from their journey, but with their faces lit up by what was happening around them. They were trying to take it all in.
We were in a side street outside a bar which, rumour had it, was about to open specifically for Aston Villa supporters. I was with BBC Midlands colleagues and asking fans to sum up their feelings at being in Paris, hours before a Champions League quarter-final.
It emerged that, like quite a few we had met already, they had travelled without tickets and with no serious hope of getting any. Unlike most of the others, they said it was their first European trip, but they had heard the stories from friends and those who sit around them at home games and decided this time they would go.
After a succession of long coach rides, they had arrived.
Why, I asked, had they gone to all that trouble - and expense - for a game that they knew they would not be able to see, and could have watched at home or in the pub?
"I don't know. We just had to be here, didn't we?" said one.
"Yes," his friend replied. "It's the Villa, you know?"
And I did know.
Covering Villa's return to Europe over the past two seasons, I have spoken to dozens of fans who might have said the same. Many of them had travelled knowing they were unlikely to get into the stadium.
But it demonstrated that, for so many supporters, supporting a football club is about much more than 90 minutes, twice a week.
Some of those following the team around Europe were from Birmingham, many from the wider Villa-supporting diaspora. They came from all classes and levels of society - some able to travel in style, others content to get there by any means available. They saw the sights and sampled the local food and drink.
But what seemed to make it matter most - why those two lads felt they just had to be there - did not seem to be the city, the match, the quality of the opposition, or even the status of the competition. It was the sense of belonging to something, of being together.
Who does Opta's Supercomputer predict to challenge for Europe?published at 11:57 6 August
11:57 6 August
Opta's Supercomputer has once again predicted the upcoming 2025-26 Premier League season by using a model to simulate every match 10,000 times.
Image source, Opta
It is not yet clear if the team that finishes fifth in this season's Premier League will secure a Champions League spot again as that outcome depends on how representatives performance in Europe this season.
Therefore, based on needing a top-four finish to reach the Champions League and fifth getting the Europa League, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea are favourites again, but there is still plenty of hope for others.
Aston Villa agonisingly missed out on Champions League qualification on the final day, but in almost a third of simulations they do force their way into a top-four spot this time around.
Newcastle's focus may be on trying to keep star striker Alexander Isak, but currently the Supercomputer predicts the Magpies to finish sixth most often, and a top-four finish in 29.9% of simulations.
Meanwhile, after Crystal Palace's strong end to last season brought a first major trophy, the Eagles are given more than a one-in-five chance of a top-four finish. They manage that achievement in 21.6% of sims, ahead of rivals Brighton (16.8%).
In their second season under Fabian Hurzeler, Brighton are predicted an eight-placed finish in the majority of sims.
The Supercomputer ranks Bournemouth (10.1%) and Nottingham Forest (8.9%) as outside shouts for European football this season.
Perhaps surprisingly, Brentford are predicted to have a strong season despite losing Thomas Frank and key players Bryan Mbuemo and Christian Norgaard - with Yoanne Wissa also looking likely to exit.
If as many as seven or eight Premier League clubs can qualify for Europe next season, the door could be open for a surprise team to sneak in.
Gossip: Villa expect Man Utd move for Watkinspublished at 07:15 6 August
07:15 6 August
Aston Villa are prepared for potential interest from Manchester United in 29-year-old England striker Ollie Watkins, should the Red Devils miss out on Benjamin Sesko. (Teamtalk), external
Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho will leave United this month, with Villa, Chelsea and Tottenham all keen on in the 21-year-old. (TBR Football, external)
West Ham remain interested in Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey, 24, with the English midfielder yet to make a decision on his long-term future. (Mail), external
'When my time has been and gone, Villa fans will be singing for me' - fan storiespublished at 15:57 5 August
15:57 5 August
We know the relationship between a football fan and their club is a special one so, as we gear up for the new season, we asked you to share why you fell in love with Aston Villa and some of your favourite moments supporting them.
Here are some of your submissions:
Image caption,
Lutz: I'm German but I've always liked English football. I didn't have a team, until 13 December 1998. I was working on the road, located in Tamworth and I watched the legendary game against Arsenal at Villa Park. It was dramatic and in the second half Villa turned the game around. Since that day, I have loved the Villa. Over the years, I have been to the stadium over 30 times. I'm able to watch all of their games at home on the TV and I miss nothing. In four weeks I retire and I will have more time to travel. My wife supports Liverpool - unfortunately!
Tim: Aston Villa are the only club I know where each game the current fanbase sings in praise of those Villa fans who have come and gone before us. We stand on the shoulders of those fans. As I sing the song, I know that one day, when my time has been and gone, there will be Villa fans singing for me and knowing that makes me so proud. This is why I have taken my siblings, my children and my grandchildren to Villa Park to support The Villa. Villa Till I Die - and beyond.
Image caption,
Peter: Why did you love that girl in school? Sometimes there are no answers.
Football provides 'connections' in 'increasingly lonely' worldpublished at 11:49 5 August
11:49 5 August
Nicola Pearson BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
'Why did you fall in love with your club?'
This week, we have asked hundreds of football fans across the world that very question and got hundreds of different answers.
Yes, the themes might be similar - born near a ground; family supported the team; watched a certain player - but the individual story will be unique to each supporter.
The relationship between a fan and their club should not be underestimated, with people ploughing uncountable amounts of money, time and emotional energy into their support for their team.
But what is that makes us love our clubs the way we do?
"A lot of it comes down to our identity," researcher and co-writer of the Routledge Handbook of Sport Fans and Fandom Danielle Sarver Coombs told BBC Sport.
"We become part of this group that means so much to us. It becomes a way to find a community that you're a part of and to find a group of people that, no matter where you are, you could find a pub with other fans of your team. You have that kinship.
"In a world that's increasingly quite lonely, this provides one of the ways that we can have connections so we can have the feeling that we're part of something bigger."
Connection and identity plays a big role in someone's love for their club - particularly when it is a family link.
Many fans talk of being born into who they support - that the connection is so strong there was no other team they could, or would, have chosen.
"The great thing with football is that there's such a strong heritage component to it," Sarver Coombs said. "Often, your grandfather, father, mother or whomever was a fan of the team, so it's part of your family's tradition.
"It's handed down from generation to generation."
The uniqueness of football fandom is something researchers are increasingly investigating.
An article, external published earlier this year in psychology journal Frontiers discusses how football fans often follow follow teams with 'significant attachment and commitment, sometimes to the bewilderment of those outside of the game'.
"With football clubs, you have decades of tradition that you can tap into and it's going to keep coming," Sarver Coombs added.
"Players come and go, managers come and go, shirts change, badges change, but the club itself - the heart and soul of it remains constant. You always have that piece that you're tied to, so the longevity of clubs is a really important part.
"But also, that constant in-person opportunity to be present in a community space really sets football apart from other passions that may be transient or do not have that constant engagement."
'My brother threw my Birmingham City hat into a hedge' - fan stories published at 11:34 4 August
11:34 4 August
We know the relationship between a football fan and their club is a special one so, as we gear up for the new season, we asked you to share why you fell in love with Aston Villa and some of your favourite moments supporting them.
Here are some of your submissions:
Image caption,
Lewis: Born in Scotland, all my friends supported the traditional big six - so I grew up with the pleasure of watching them all win trophy after trophy while I supported my beloved Villa.
My dad was born in Tamworth but moved to Aberdeen due to his army commitments. He always used to tell me of his memories supporting Villa while on tour, with his greatest memory being huddled round the tiny television to watch us lift the European Cup in 1982.
There was only one team he was going to bring me up supporting. Occasional trips to Villa Park when we could, along with getting every Villa kit as a kid, only made my bond with them stronger.
My best and proudest moment was being able to win a competition and play at Villa Park. Even greater was having Gordon Cowans manage the opposing team, whie Brian Little was my gaffer. My dad still beams with pride when he gets to tell everyone his son slotted a penalty home at Villa Park. The photo shows myself celebrating with my team-mates as we won the penalty shootout.
Geoff: I was about 10 years old when on the way home from school my brother threw my Birmingham City hat into a hedge and I couldn't get it back. It was the best thing to ever happen to me, as from then on I vowed to support Aston Villa. Our house was split with three Villa fans and two Blues fans and I decided to follow my Dad's team. I often think, if my brother had not done that, what would life had been like? My first match was at Villa Park against Torquay United. We won 5-1, I think, and I was hooked.
Later that season, I was there for the top of the table clash against Bournemouth. What a game! I was allowed to stay up and watch on Match of the Day - unusual for a Division Three game. Since then it's certainly been a rollercoaster. The obvious highlight being the European cup win.
Every season I believe this will be the one. I imagine that's what it is like for 99% of football fans - and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Image caption,
Gary: Unfortunately I was in the back garden as Dad and his friends watched Aston Villa beat Manchester United 2-1 in the 1957 FA Cup final. I had been sent there as I was crying when they all shouted out when Peter McParland scored the first. Well, I was only 11 months old and in a pram!
I have been going to the Villa since the 60s. Back then Dad took me and my brother Paul to stand on milk crates on the Holte End.
Being there at Rotterdam in 1982 has to be the pinnacle of my supporting days, surpassing the previous season's culmination at Highbury. I was there also when Villa fans celebrated on the Clock End as Middlesbrough scored two goals in the second half against our then rivals Ipswich. Losing at that time 2-0 to Arsenal, the manic celebrations on the final whistle told the story; my beloved Aston Villa were First Division champions.
Thanks Dad, for giving me and our family the gift that will stay with us forever.
'My honest feeling is trepidation' - fans on season to comepublished at 08:12 4 August
08:12 4 August
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on Aston Villa's pre-season preparations after Sunday's 2-2 draw with Nashville SC.
Here are some of your comments:
Steve: The bare minimum we require by the end of the window is to have last seasons' squad intact. At least we won't have gone backwards. But all the teams above us have spent plenty so will have pulled away. Can't see us making any game-changing signings so we'll be fighting with Forest and Spurs for the minor European places.
Prit: My honest feeling is trepidation. I understand that the club will struggle financially with the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City but we do need cover in defence and support for Watkins. I would have liked to have seen Louie Barry given a chance as he is a very special player, but Unai will need to bat very clever in bringing in real value. It just highlights the impact of not turning up for the FA Cup semi-final and the nightmare at Old Trafford last season.
Paul: Not overly concerned about the results. I can see us finishing ninth or 10th next season. Top six have gone to another level. Hope I am wrong and we can manage top five.
Martin: With very little movement in the transfer window so far, it's hard to predict how our season will go! There is an underlying feeling of disappointment after failing in FA Cup and Champions League qualification in the final few weeks. Hopefully we make a decent start.
Martyn-Paul: These games are nothing more than training sessions and the results are meaningless. But what does seem inevitable (due to FFP) is that Unai is going to have to work with the same squad as last season and that could lead to complacency and mid-table obscurity. Basically we're in a financial mess!
Ian: A little concerned at lack of activity in transfer market. Assuming we don't sell anyone we still need cover at centre back, we need another wide man up front and a back-up striker for Ollie. Now if we sell anyone then it puts a different complexion on things. I just hope Unai has got appropriate plans in place to cover all our options. We need to build and move forward again after a couple of very good years. Keep the faith.
'I want to get everyone in the same structure' - Emery on Nashville drawpublished at 12:27 3 August
12:27 3 August
Image source, Getty Images
Unai Emery was happy with the test provided by Nashville SC after Aston Villa drew 2-2 with the MLS side in a pre-season friendly in Tennessee on Sunday morning.
Ollie Watkins and Donyell Malen put Villa 2-0 up before Nashville scored twice late on in a match in which Emery used a total of 23 players.
It was Villa's second match in the United States after a win over St Louis City last week. That was the club's only win so far in pre-season after defeats to Walsall and Hansa Rostock and a draw with Eintracht Frankfurt.
"We're finishing here our pre-season in the United States with the match we played," he said post-match.
"With the same objective, play all the players available and mixing young players with players getting fit.
"Of course, it's not my objective now to play or set the starting XI players.
"I want to try to get everyone in the same structure and in the same combination or different combinations we can have.
"Nashville played well and I know they are performing fantastic in their league here in the MLS.
"We faced them, respecting them, and even when we were 2-0 they were able to claim back a result. They drew and, of course, they showed their capacity.
"Last year we played against Columbus Crew, this year we played against St. Louis City, here (against Nashville) and all matches we play against MLS teams - sometimes we are winning, sometimes losing and sometimes drawing.
Send your pictures and stories of why you love Villapublished at 16:31 31 July
16:31 31 July
Image source, Prit
On Monday, we asked you to tell us why you fell in love with Aston Villa and some of your favourite moments supporting them.
You have already been getting in touch with your photos and stories and here is just a taste from Prit:
"I was born in Aston, lived the other side from Villa Park and Aston Villa meant everything to me. I used to mind cars on Frederick Road and used to run to the Holte End 20 minutes before the end so me and a bunch of small skinny kids could sneak in. I would then run back to collect my 10p for minding the car.
"My father took my brother and myself to our first ever match at Villa Park (August 1970) vs Plymouth in the old Division Three. I was so young that I thought we were watching Celtic in the green and white hoops. I was hooked!
"Lots of great memories. Seeing Santos and Pele play during the three-day week, Johan Cruyff bringing his Barcelona team in the Uefa Cup and the legendary match against West Bromwich Albion in 1981 when Peter Withe scored in the 88th minute to effectively win us the Division One title."
So join the conversation and send your best photos about why you love the Villans.
Your first visit to the stadium? A special kit? An amazing away trip?
Image source, Getty Images
