Aston Villa have officially confirmed the addition of FC Porto to their pre-season schedule, with Unai Emery’s side set to face the Portuguese giants at the Estádio do Dragão on Saturday, July 25. Kick-off is scheduled for 7pm as Villa continue preparations for another demanding campaign.
The fixture arrives at short notice and fits between two matches at Walsall’s Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium. Villa begin pre-season against Walsall on Tuesday, July 21, before travelling to Portugal to face Porto. They then return to England to meet Real Sociedad at the Bescot Stadium on Tuesday, July 28.
The clash with Porto represents another high-quality test for Emery’s squad. The Portuguese club are regular contenders in European competition, and playing away at the Estádio do Dragão will provide Villa with valuable preparation ahead of their return to the UEFA Champions League.
Several of Villa’s senior internationals are not expected to feature, however. Players involved at the FIFA World Cup are still due to complete their post-tournament breaks, meaning the early friendlies are likely to feature squad players, returning youngsters, fringe members of the first team and any new summer signings.
Interestingly, Porto and Aston Villa almost met in last season’s Europa League. The Portuguese side looked set to become Villa’s semi-final opponents before Nottingham Forest eliminated them in the quarter-finals. Emery’s men then defeated Forest over two legs before lifting the Europa League trophy in Istanbul, making this summer’s friendly a meeting that many supporters thought could have happened months earlier.
Villa’s summer schedule continues to grow in difficulty. Following the Porto encounter, Emery’s side will face Real Sociedad before embarking on an Asian tour featuring Indonesia All Stars, BG Pathum United and Bayern Munich. Villa will then take on Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup before concluding preparations with a trip to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The UEFA Super Cup will be Villa’s first competitive fixture of the season before attention turns to their Premier League opener away at Brighton on August 23. Emery will hope the demanding pre-season schedule leaves his squad fully prepared for another campaign competing on multiple fronts.
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