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Last season Villa had a terrible start - 1 goal in their first 5 games, 2L 3D - which means the rest of the season was GREAT coming all the way back to finish 4th.
This year they start out on the road at Brighton & Hove Albion, not an easy task.
As usual, Villa has had quite a bit of turnover with their starters, yet manager Unai Emery always seems to find the next star and get the most out of his teams.
2025/26 Finish - 4th Place
Qualified for Champions League
59 - Over/Under Total Points Predicted
Return to the Top. A medium/large club with a large fan base and a history of winning cups, which continued last season adding the Europa League Title to the list. Maybe shouldn’t be a surprise, as manager Unai Emery OWNS that league having won it previously with Villareal of La Liga in Spain.
While Villa does not have the revenue/payroll of the “Big 6” they sure have been acting like it under Emery. If Emery were not there, the fans may be a little concerned heading into the season after losing key contributors Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans. Expect the Villains to bring in the right pieces.
Villa seems to start a little slowly, like last season when they didn’t score in the first 4 matches but give Emery time and he finds the combinations to peak as the season goes on. Will be another big challenge this season moving up from the Europa League to the Champions League and they are going to need to add depth if they want to keep up with the expectations, they have set the last several seasons. Yet, Emery has led this team in the Champions League already, expect him to be in the mix again.
A great “collegial” atmosphere at Villa Park is a great advantage for Villa, and EPL weekends and European nights will be rocking again.
The Club
Located in Aston, Birmingham (W Midlands)
Villa Park, 43,000 capacity
Rough estimates
$500M Annual Revenu
$135M Player Payroll
History on the Pitch
7 Titles, last in 1981
7 FA Cups
2 Europe Cups
Ownership
Villa has had a string of American owners. In 2006, Randy Lerner of the Cleveland Browns bought Villa for $75M. In 2014 Lerner put the club up for sale for $225M and sold to Tony Xia, a Chinese businessman, in 2016. The club ran into financial difficulties after relegation to The Championship. Additional investment was needed, and Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris and American Billionaire Wes Edens bought a 55% controlling share in 2018 and the remaining 45% in 2019 under the holding company V Sports. Wes Edens is also owner of the NBA franchise Milwaukee Bucks.
In early 2024 Comcast backed American investment firm Atairos invested in V Sports at approximately 20%.
Sponsorship
Kit: Adidas
Shirt: Betano (TBD 26/27)
Sleeve: Trade Nation (TBD 26/27)
Home Kit
Away Kit TBD
Biggest Rival - Birmingham City - The Second City Derby
The two major clubs of Birmingham, 2.4 miles separate the clubs.
Tom Brady became a minority owner of Birmingham City in 2023.
Villa holds a record of 52W 38L 30D.
A close second rival is West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton.
All three big rivals are down in The Championship.
The Culture
If you think of English soccer as cool old stadiums with passionate fans, great pubs, and major rivalries - that describes Aston Villa. It’s one of the original clubs started, with great history, many cups and titles, a great stadium and a passionate fan following. Great local rivals add to the passion and energy with the “Big 4 of the West Midlands” (West Brom, Wolverhampton, Birmingham City). An argument could be made for Villa to be the “best” PL club not in the Big 6. Villa have spent 110 consecutive seasons in the top 4 leagues, second to only Everton (120) and the two have matched up against each other more than any other two clubs. For current Villa fans, frustration comes from a couple angles. The titles were over 40 years ago, the main rivals keep rotating in and out of the PL, and The Lions seem to be fighting uphill against the Big 6 clubs. A top 4 finish last season has the “Villans” dreaming of titles and of replacing one of the traditional big 6 over the next couple years.
Word Association
Claret & Blue, Birmingham, Lions, Villains, Collegial, Historical Winners, Villa Park, Tradition, Unai Emery, NSWE owners, Midlands, Resurgence.
The Rampant Lion
Its pretty self-explanatory where “The Villains” name came from, but how about “The Lions”? If you go to Villa Park - there are Lions everywhere and the crest has always been the Rampant Lion.
The Rampant Lion is a symbol of Scotland and is on the flag known as the Royal Standard of Scotland. Two of the founding club members, William McGregor and George Ramsay, both from Scotland. They wanted to keep a connection to their heritage.
Royal Standard of Scotland
Supporters You May Recognize
Prince William
Ozzy Osbourne
Tom Hanks
Justin Rose
David Bradley - Harry Potter
Song
Aston Parish Church is near Villa Park, and on Saturday’s the bells would ring during weddings.
“The bells are ringing for the claret and blue. Claret and blue. Claret and blue. The fans are singing for the claret and blue. Claret and blue. Claret and blue. Everybody is knowing, to the Villa they’re going. Where the Villa are showing. We’re the best in the land. Best in the land.”
Game Day Pub Guide
The Aston Tavern
Fan Sites
Official Twitter
@AVFCOfficial
High Follows on Twitter
@villareport (92k)
@Aston_Villains (22k)
@theavfcfaithful (42k)
@Holy_Trinity_AV (11k)
@AstonVilla_view (11k)
@The1874podcast (32k)
The Team
The Gaffer
Unai Emery (Spain), 53yo, entering 5th season at Villa.
Lots of success in a similar situation at Villareal Spain, taking a smaller club to Europe competitions and winning 3 consecutive Europa Leagues.
Had good results in his first season at Villa, taking over after 11 matches and turning that into a TOP 4 finish last season.
ODDS
To Win League +2,500
Top 4 +330
To Be Relegated +6,600
Roster Notes
Full Roster click link
No Americans on the Roster.
Johan Manzambi
Boubacar Kamara
Amadou Onana
Ezri Konsa
Joao Gomes
Ian Maatsen
Leon Bailey
Matty Cash
Ollie Watkins
Evann Guessand
Morgan Rogers
John McGinn
Goalkeeper
Emi Martinez - Top 5 in PL.
Villa Park
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