Aston Villa supporters baffled after official pre-season announcement
Aston Villa will be looking to have a strong pre-season as they aim to return to the UEFA Champions League during the upcoming campaign.
Unai Emery has transformed Villa in recent years, to the point where European qualification is becoming the norm.
However, after being forced to settle for a place in the UEFA Europa League on the final day of the season, everyone at the club will be working hard to ensure they don’t suffer the same fate this term.
The bitter conclusion to the previous campaign has left Villa with little room to manoeuvre this summer amid tight financial constraints.
As a result, their transfer business will have to be conducted sensibly and cost-effectively this summer, as the West Midlands outfit seek to prepare a squad capable of breaking back into the top five.
Villa fans react to Frankfurt and Roma friendlies
The pre-season fixtures are one of the most important facets of a club’s preparation for the upcoming season, and on Monday (16 June), Villa confirmed the addition of two more friendlies to their summer schedule.
Emery’s men will spend a chunk of their season in the USA, where they will now also take on Bundesliga giants Eintracht Frankfurt on 26 July.
The Villans will remain stateside until the first week of August, when they return to the West Midlands to face AS Roma at Walsall’s Bescot Stadium (6 August).
Pre-season friendlies often draw plenty of excitement from fans, as they are desperate to see their team after several months without football, and they also represent the perfect chance to cast an eye over any new additions.
However, the announcement of the B6 outfit’s two latest clashes has drawn something of a frustrated reaction from the Villa faithful, as fans question why the Roma fixture isn’t taking place at Villa Park.
Villa fans right to question pre-season announcement
Premier League clubs and their fans are no strangers to pre-season tours on the other side of the world by now.
The latest additions to Villa’s pre-season schedule have taken their total number of clashes while in the US to four, and they will be glad to have arranged a tough test against top-level opponents in the form of Frankfurt.
| Opponent | Date | Venue |
| Walsall | 16 July | Bescot Stadium, Walsall |
| Hansa Rostock | 19 July | Ostseestadion, Rostock |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 26 July | Lynn Family Stadium, Kentucky |
| St Louis City SC | 30 July | Energizer Park, St Louis |
| Nashville SC | 2 August | Geodis Park, Nashville |
| AS Roma | 6 August | Bescot Stadium, Walsall |
However, while the Roma game should be a big attraction for fans, there is understandably a frustration that the game isn’t being hosted at Villa Park.
Playing pre-season friendlies away from a club’s home ground can be vital to open the door for work to be done on the pitch, or for maintenance and upgrades elsewhere in the ground that wouldn’t be possible during the season.
But, with Villa yet to announce a single friendly on home turf, the fans seem set to be deprived of their best and most accessible opportunity to see their team before the league campaign gets underway.