Unai Emery’s team are finally back in action this Saturday.
It is not only Villa’s team which is being rebuilt this season.
So too is their stadium, with the building site which currently occupies one end of Villa Park a fitting symbol for a period of transition.
One of the big questions heading into the campaign was how much playing in a three-sided stadium would affect the home form which has underpinned so much of Villa’s success under Unai Emery.
Since the Spaniard walked through the door nearly four years ago, Villa Park has been more than worthy of the “Fortress” tag.
Fearsome domestically, Villa have been close to faultless on their own patch in European competition.
Villa have won 44 out of 72 home league matches since Emery’s appointment, a run which includes a club record 15-game winning streak.
Olympiacos, meanwhile, have been the only European visitor to claim a win. Juventus are the only other side to avoid defeat.
Yet on Saturday, Villa will host Brentford looking to avoid suffering a third straight home Premier League loss for the first time under Emery.
On the three previous occasions they have lost back-to-back games, they have always won the third.
Much as two matches is nowhere near sufficient evidence to begin drawing firm conclusions, defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest did nothing to dampen those concerns a reduced capacity and open end might pose a problem.
Perhaps it is merely coincidence the three goals Villa have conceded at home have all been in front of the North Stand shell.
Regardless, this run of matches, which sees Emery’s men play four out of next five at Villa Park, should provide a clearer idea of any negative impact from playing in a three-sided ground.
After Brentford, they host Fenerbahce, before visits from Viking and Manchester City follow a trip to Newcastle.
Home form aside, the biggest question heading into Saturday is whether Emery’s team can pick up where they left off prior to the international break.
Back-to-back wins at Coventry and Tottenham gave the sense of a season which was finally getting up and running.
It really wasn’t the time for a three-week halt. “Crazy” is how Emery described the break.
On the positive side, Villa should theoretically be returning stronger than before.
The dead leg sustained by Matty Cash while playing notwithstanding, his squad appear to have emerged from the international interlude largely unscathed. John McGinn played close to four full matches for Scotland, while Johan Manzambi earned rave reviews for his performances for Switzerland.
Emery has also seen Brian Madjo and Pau Torres return to fitness. The former could make his Premier League debut on Saturday, nearly two months after announcing himself to the football world by scoring in the European Super Cup.
Elsewhere, Alysson has recovered from the knock which forced him to miss the win at Spurs while Leon Goretzka, the only summer signing yet to make it onto the pitch, is also nearing a return.
There will also be a belated home debut for Joao Gomes, after the midfielder was suspended for the first two matches at Villa Park following his red card on the season’s opening day.
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