Villa delighted fans with a memorable Champions League quarter-final run - highlighted by a famous win over Bayern Munich - and an FA Cup semi-final display, proving they can compete at the top end of English and European football.

Aston Villa fixtures:

16 August: Aston Villa v Newcastle

23 August: Brentford v Aston Villa

29 August: Aston Villa v Crystal Palace

13 September: Everton v Aston Villa

21 September: Sunderland v Aston Villa

The Villans begin their season with a high-stakes home clash against Newcastle, who edged them out for Champions League qualification last season by the narrowest of margins, adding extra intensity to an already crucial fixture.

Next up is a trip to Brentford, a side capable of frustrating bigger teams on their own turf. Villa will see this as a good opportunity to collect points and build early momentum.

Their third fixture is back at Villa Park against FA Cup winners Crystal Palace in a clash of the cup holders. With home advantage and higher expectations, Villa will be favourites and will aim to assert control from the start.

They then head to Merseyside to face Everton, a potentially tricky away day. While not a direct rival, dropping points here could hurt Villa in what's expected to be another tight race at the top.

Finally, they welcome newly promoted Sunderland, where anything less than a win would be a disappointment.Emery's side will need to be ruthless in fixtures like this to keep pace with their Champions League-chasing rivals.

Altogether, it's a promising opening run that offers Villa the platform to start strong and show their intent in the battle for Champions League qualification.

Emery, reflecting on the season ahead, spoke on the significance of the opening-day clash with Newcastle.

"We have a squad capable of competing in Europe - starting with Newcastle at home is a big moment for us and our fans," said Emery

If Villa manage to retain their key players they look well-placed to challenge for a top-five finish and push strongly in the Europa League - a competition which their manager has won four times. If they can hit the ground running, a return to Champions League football isn't out of reach.

Aston Villa standings - Historic log positions

2020/21 - 11th

2021/22 - 14th

2022/23 - 7th

2023/24 - 4th

2024/25 - 6th

Gayton McKenzie hails son's R50m SuperSport United purchase