Dortmundvs.Aston Villa

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

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.

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.

Borussia Dortmund friendly form:

D

D

D

L

W

L

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