Aston Villa are days away from starting the new Premier League campaign and going down the road of being a Champions League club.
Unai Emery did a remarkable job last season when he guided Aston Villa to fourth spot and a return to Europe’s elite competition.
But the pressure, spotlight and scrutiny on the team is now going to get far tougher because many teams will now be gunning for their head.
Villa open their campaign on Saturday evening when they take on West Ham United at the London Stadium.
You wonder how Villa will line up against West Ham because they have looked pretty poor in pre-season losing four games.
The Midlands side simply can’t start the season slowly because so many teams are pushing for those Champions League spots.
Ally McCoist thinks Manchester United will finish in the top four, alongside Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City, as he expressed his concerns for Villa.
The former striker stated that he is ‘not sure’ how they will handle the Champions League and playing those midweek matches.
Jeff Stelling agreed with his fellow pundit that Villa won’t secure a top-four spot again, but he thinks it will be Newcastle United returning to the Champions League, as he told talkSPORT (12/08/24 at 8:30 am).
Will Aston Villa finish in the top four?
“I think it’s completely wide open,” said McCoist. “I genuinely don’t know what you are going to get off Chelsea. I think we have a fair idea of what we are going to get from Spurs, some brilliance and a little bit of average.
“Newcastle must have a better season. Villa, I am not sure how they are going to handle the Champions League and midweek as well. I would take a little punt on Manchester United finishing fourth.”
Stelling added: “I think Newcastle will finish fourth. They slightly underachieved last season. But they had more injuries than anybody else in the Premier League. I think they will have a better season. I think, one or two of the others, the fact that Villa have got Champions League. Of course, Newcastle had Champions League to contend with as well. Villa have got that to contend with.”
Aston Villa in the Champions League
This is the one fans are looking forward to the most and pitting their wits against some of the best teams in Europe.
Villa have been fairly busy in the summer transfer market so far, with the window set to slam shut at the end of the month.
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Amadou Onana joined Aston Villa from Everton in what has been their biggest incoming so far, but Douglas Luiz waved an emotional goodbye and left Villa to join Juventus.
The Brazil international’s exit is going to seriously hurt the team, even if Emery and Co have done everything they can to replace him.
Fans are hoping more deals will still be concluded before the window slams shut, with the possibility that Aston Villa target Joao Felix could now join Chelsea.
