Aston Villa face a daunting away run of fixtures from the end of December - including trips to the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Newcastle Wolves, Man United and Nottingham Forest
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Our dedicated Aston Villa reporter is always on the pulse of all things claret and blue, from major talking points to transfer news to match action, John Townley will bring you the very latest from Bodymoor Heath and Villa Park.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Tough run... Villa boss Unai Emery(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
Returning to the Champions League will be Aston Villa’s main objective next season, and they have a couple of routes to achieve it.
A top-four finish in the Premier League would guarantee them a place in UEFA’s elite club competition, while finishing fifth may also be enough, as was the case last season.
Winning the Europa League - an achievable target for the club next year - would also secure their place in the Champions League.
Tottenham, who recently appointed Thomas Frank, finished 17th last season but beat Manchester United to earn a spot in UEFA’s premier competition.
Now that Villa’s fixtures for the new campaign have been released, we can start to piece together what the season might look like.
Newcastle United visit Villa Park on the opening weekend is followed by a trip to Brentford for Villa’s first away game.
Interestingly, they will face only one team that finished above them last season - Newcastle - in their first eight matches.
Of those games, only Newcastle and Brentford finished in the top half last season. However, Crystal Palace and Tottenham - Villa’s opponents in match weeks three and eight respectively - did defeat them last term.
A visit to Everton’s new stadium comes in match week four, followed by a trip to newly-promoted Sunderland, a home match against Fulham and an away fixture at Burnley in early October.
Villa could be on course for a strong start, but consistency will be crucial, especially as Unai Emery’s side must also balance Europa League commitments.
It’s a positive sign that Villa only play away from home after two of their eight Europa League group stage matches.
They host Fulham, Burnley, Manchester City, Bournemouth and Wolves following each of their first five European ties.
After their sixth European game, Villa go to West Ham on December 13, and following their penultimate Europa League group match they visit Newcastle. They’ll then host Brentford at the end of January after their final group stage fixture.
If Villa reach the Europa League round of 16, a typically daunting trip to Manchester United falls between the two quarter-final ties.
Should they go that deep, they would face Nottingham Forest away at the City Ground between the quarter-finals.
But before we look that far ahead, let's rewind to Boxing Day, when Villa are scheduled to face Chelsea away.
Villa’s away fixtures from Boxing Day until the end of the season look challenging, based on both the league finishes of their opponents and Villa’s recent record at those grounds.
Between Boxing Day and the final match, Villa will go to Chelsea, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Bournemouth, Wolves, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Burnley, before their final-day clash with Manchester City at the Etihad.
Last season, Villa only beat Bournemouth and Fulham - who both challenged for Europe - away from home from that list of fixtures, while Burnley could be scrapping for their lives that late in the campaign.
Villa also host Tottenham at the start of May, which falls between the Europa League semi-finals, before Burnley visit Villa Park on May 9.
Their final home game of the season is against reigning champions Liverpool, before they travel to face another potential title challenger, Manchester City, on the last day.
The season could very well be decided in those final two matches - not just for Villa’s league position, but potentially for the title race itself.
To add another layer of complexity, the Europa League final will take place on Wednesday, May 20, in Istanbul - right between those crucial final league games.
What do you make of Villa's fixture list? Tell us here