Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Unai Emery has selected his starting XI to face Marseille in Aston Villa’s seventh pre-season friendly of the summer.
Villa earned their second win of the summer against AS Roma on Wednesday night, following a 2-1 victory at St. Louis in Missouri last week.
Emery's side will conclude their pre-season programme with a trip to Villarreal tomorrow, giving the players who don’t feature today an opportunity to potentially get 90 minutes under their belts before the Premier League campaign starts next weekend.
Today, Marco Bizot starts in goal behind a defence of Matty Cash, Lamare Bogarde, Tyrone Mings and Lucas Digne.
Amadou Onana and George Hemmings operate in the double pivot, while Samuel Iling-Junior, John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey support the striker, Donyell Malen.
New signing Evann Guessand starts on the bench, which includes 18 players.
Villa XI vs Marseille: Bizot, Cash, Bogarde, Mings, Digne, Onana, Hemmings, Iling-Jr, McGinn, Ramsey, Malen.
Subs: Martinez, Proctor, Konsa, Tielemans, Buendia, Watkins, Pau, Moreno, Maatsen, Guessand, Bailey, Dobbin, Kamara, Rowe, Patterson, Jimoh-Aloba, Mosquera, Burrowes.
Get your Aston Villa pre-season special edition of the Birmingham Mail
It promises to be an exciting season ahead for Aston Villa as Unai Emery's side look to build on last season's efforts and will look to finish even higher this time around.
Despite not achieving the same feat of the 2023/2024 season by securing a UEFA Champion's League spot — the 2024/25 campaign proved to be a decent one for the Villains. Villa managed to get into continental football by qualifying for the Europa League and will play their third consecutive season of European competition.
It looks as though there is a lot to look forward to this coming campaign. And with that in mind, we have produced our Aston Villa 2025/26 Kick-Off special — our brilliant guide to the new season.
Our team will help you navigate through what to expect from your team this coming season, turn the spotlight on Emery while also providing in-depth analysis and opinion on your club. We look at the summer's biggest signings, check out each ground, study the managers - new and old - and test your knowledge with our Premier League quiz.
And we also have a full fixtures guide so you don't miss a game in what is set to be a thrilling season. The guide is available at retailers from August 6 but can be pre-ordered online now and it is a must have for any Aston Villa fan. It is the perfect accompaniment to the season and you can own it before the squad's opening fixture of the Premier League when they welcome Newcastle United to Villa Park on Saturday, August, 16.
Priced £3.50, pre-order your copy nowfrom our online store and get it delivered direct to your door.
Available to purchase in most supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents in Birmingham from August 6, 2025. For online purchases, postage and packaging applies. Worldwide shipping is available.
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