Both playing their final pre-season friendly this summer, Borussia Dortmund and Aston Villa meet at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday evening.
While last term's Champions League finalists are adjusting to life under new management, Unai Emery is tuning his squad up for both the Premier League and a shot at Europe's top club competition.
Match preview
© Reuters
Following an unsuccessful trip to the United States - which brought three straight defeats - Aston Villa sought a morale-boosting win on Wednesday evening, when they met Athletic Bilbao at Walsall's Bescot Stadium.
Unai Emery welcomed his fellow Basques to the West Midlands, eager to produce a positive result, and his side came good in their penultimate pre-season fixture.
Cameron Archer netted the late winner as Villa secured a 3-2 success, following goals from fellow returnee Jaden Philogene and England Under-21 star Jacob Ramsey.
After Stateside losses to Columbus Crew, Champions League regulars RB Leipzig and Liga MX champions Club America, the team that finished fourth in last season's Premier League got back on track with that win and now have one eye on next week's top-flight opener.
Before returning to competitive action against West Ham United, Emery will hope to welcome back several senior international stars on Saturday, adding to a reshaped squad now without Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby but instead featuring Ian Maatsen and Amadou Onana.
© Imago
While Villa have been particularly active in the transfer market, Dortmund's main change has come in the dugout, where former BVB midfielder Nuri Sahin steps up to replace Edin Terzic.
For the second straight season, the latter came so close to landing major silverware for his beloved club, but after blowing the Bundesliga title race on the final day last year, Die Schwarzgelben narrowly lost out to relentless Real Madrid in the 2024 Champions League final.
A sub-par league campaign gives Sahin plenty of scope to improve, and he has led his team to two draws, one loss and one win during pre-season, most recently sharing four goals with Villarreal.
Without departing stars such as Jadon Sancho, Mats Hummels, Marco Reus, and now West Ham-bound Niclas Fullkrug, Dortmund must now rebuild under their new boss, who is a rookie at senior management level.
Having only finished fifth last season - still enough to book a Champions League return thanks to Germany's UEFA club coefficient - they will aim to make a fast start: after facing Villa and DFB-Pokal opponents Phonix Lubeck, they host Eintracht Frankfurt on the Bundesliga's opening matchday.
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Unai Emery has made full use of his Aston Villa squad throughout pre-season, but he may choose to select his strongest available XI for Saturday's game in Germany.
Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins all took part in international finals midway through last month, and having now returned from an extended period of leave they should be available.
Recent arrival Amadou Onana joins fellow new boys Samuel Iling-Junior, Ross Barkley, Enzo Barrenechea and ex-Dortmund loanee Ian Maatsen in the visitors' squad, but the immediate future of Colombian striker Jhon Duran is uncertain; Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings are still on the road to recovery from serious injuries.
As Serhou Guirassy has been ruled out until mid-September, the hosts should turn to Ivory Coast's AFCON hero Sebastien Haller to replace Niclas Fullkrug up front, while Jamie Bynoe-Gittens may profit from the departure of his compatriot Jadon Sancho.
Gio Reyna is back in the fold following his loan to Nottingham Forest, and ex-Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Pascal Gross will add experience to BVB's engine room.
Waldemar Anton and Yan Couto also hope to feature, following their off-season switches from Stuttgart and Manchester City respectively.
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Couto, Schlotterbeck, Anton, Bensebaini; Gross, Sabitzer; Adeyemi, Reyna, Bynoe-Gittens; Haller
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Bogarde, Torres, Moreno; Onana, Tielemans; Bailey, McGinn, Ramsey; Rogers
We say: Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Aston Villa
As Aston Villa try to bed in several new squad members - plus some big stars who have been resting after their international exploits - they may still need time to find the rhythm that took them to fourth place in the Premier League last season.
Dortmund have experienced plenty of upheaval too, but home advantage should help the German giants win their final warm-up fixture.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
