Aston Villa will face Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday evening, here are five things supporters should look out for in the friendly.
Unai Emery has only two more opportunities to judge his squad in a match setting before the 2024/25 season commences.
The Spaniard’s side have had a varied pre-season, as Aston Villa just returned from the United States having recorded three defeats in three games.
Next, the Villans come up against LaLiga giants Athletic Bilbao at the Bescot Stadium in the penultimate friendly of pre-season.
Five things to look out for in Aston Villa’s pre-season friendly against Athletic Bilbao
With the results against Columbus Crew, RB Leipzig and Club America still fresh in Emery’s mind, the manager will be hoping to see some improvement against Athletic.
As the clocks continue to tick ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League opener against West Ham, fans will also have their eyes fixed on areas for Villa to improve in their remaining two friendlies, here are five things for supporters to look out for.
Who will partner Amadou Onana in midfield?
One of the main talking points of the summer transfer window has been how Villa’s midfield will look in the future.
The near future is the main concern, as Emery prepares to start the season without Douglas Luiz and the injured Boubacar Kamara.
After paying £50m to acquire Amadou Onana from Everton, it’s certain that the 22-year-old will be a starter for the Villans, but who will partner the Belgian?
It will be interesting to see who Emery deems to be the most suitable candidate to pair with Onana against Athletic, in what could be a big hint to who will start on the opening day.
Can Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rogers play together?
The end of the 2023/24 season belonged to Morgan Rogers, who continued his form early into pre-season as he impressed against Walsall and Spartak Trnava.
Now that Jacob Ramsey has returned to the fold following an injury plagued year, there will be a lot to be discussed over whether the two players can play together in the squad.
It’s rare that a manager would have two players so similar in profile, giving Emery something to ponder ahead of the Premier League opener.
Against Athletic, supporters should take note of where Emery opts to play both Ramsey and Rogers, whether that be centrally or on the left and, whether the duo can operate on the pitch at the same time.
Can Emi Buendia make an impact?
Ramsey wasn’t the only player to have his 2023/24 campaign snatched away by injury, as very few were as unlucky as Emi Buendia.
After shining in pre-season last summer, the Argentine suffered a season-ending ACL injury in training, taking him out of contention for the entire footballing calendar.
Back and with a point to prove, the impact that the 27-year-old has against Athletic could bolster his position in the pecking order ahead of the trip to the London Stadium.
Will Emery trust in Lamare Bogarde once more?
Last time out against Club America, Lamare Bogarde ‘oozed class’ at centre-back alongside Pau Torres.
After impressing in the States, it will be fascinating to see Emery trust in the 20-year-old again, particularly as Villa’s options in central defence are running particularly thin.
In the instance that the young Dutchman puts on another unforgettable performance, the manager could consider integrating him into the first team to bolster Villa’s depth at the back.
Can Samuel Iling-Junior announce himself?
Arriving this summer as part of the swap deal with Juventus to offload Luiz, Samuel Iling-Junior has spent some time having to adapt to his new surroundings.
Unlike fellow former Juventus youngster Enzo Barrenechea, Iling-Junior’s role is far more complicated to ease into at Villa.
The 20-year-old played at left-wing-back in Max Allegri’s system last season, with him not regarded as a left midfielder or even a left back, reinforcing the difficulty he may have at adapting to how Emery plays.
The Englishman was an unused substitute against Club America, making his role against Athletic something to monitor.
