Aston Villa have confirmed the first-team squad’s pre-season schedule ahead of the start of the new Premier League campaign on August 14.
Dean Smith and the players will travel to Vicarage Road to take on Watford in our season opener next month, but there has been uncertainty over how we would prepare in the coming weeks.
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Given the ongoing restrictions and concerns surrounding COVID-19, this summer is going to be different to previous years in that it appears the Villa squad might not get away for some warm-weather training.
Instead, as seen in the tweet below and as confirmed by the club’s official site, we will play all four of our games on home soil, with Walsall, Stoke City and Nottingham Forest all on the schedule.
The pre-season fixtures end with a intriguing visit from Sevilla to Villa Park on August 7, and with the club noting that ticket information will be announced shortly for all but the Forest encounter which will take place behind closed doors at Bodymoor Heath, fans will no doubt flock in their numbers to see the squad in action.
Further, the club add that they hope to confirm additional pre-season fixtures in the coming weeks and so there could be plenty of opportunities for Smith to get a close look at his players and for the squad to try and impress with a view of cementing their place in the side this season.
Naturally, given the international commitments for many, there could be a few late arrivals back at pre-season this year due to the European Championship and Copa America, but the Villa squad and several of the club’s youth stars will be reporting back at Bodymoor Heath next week.
🚨🗓 Villa pre-season schedule:
Wednesday, July 21 (ko 7.30pm) – Walsall (A)
Saturday, July 24 (ko 3pm) – Stoke City (A)
Wednesday, July 28 (ko 1pm) – Nottingham Forest (H – Bodymoor Heath)
Saturday, August 7 (ko 3pm) – Sevilla (H – Villa Park)#avfc #UTV
— Talk Villa (@thetalkvilla) July 2, 2021