The First Hard Test: RBL Meets a Bundesliga-Heavy Aston Villa

The first friendly of the US Tour!

RB Leipzig will face top English team Aston Villa in the Red Bull Arena in Harrison (New Jersey) this July 31. Kick-off is at 8 p.m. local time, in Germany it will be Thursday night (2 a.m.).

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What can the Red Bulls expect from this match, up next.
 

Multiple-time English Champions

Aston Villa was founded in 1874 and has a history full of movement. The club from Birmingham has won seven English championships, but most of the titles were won some time ago. The last time the “Villans” finished a season in first place was in 1981.

Aston Villa were in top form last season. At the end of the season they finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League for the first time. The achievement clearly bears the signature of Spanish coach Unai Emery. More on that in a moment!

Can you remember our first match against the Villans? Take a look HERE.

Main facts

• 7 English Championships (1981, 1910, 1900, 1899, 1897, 1896,1894)
• 7 domestic cups (1957, 1920, 1913, 1905, 1897, 1895, 1887)
• 1 European Champions Cup (1982)
• 4th in the Premier League 2023/24 Season, first time qualifying to the UEFA Champions League
   

Remarkable: Only five years after being promoted back to the Premier League in 2019, the club managed to make the jump back into the Champions League.

The Manager

Probably the most important decision Villa made was the appointment of manager Unai Emery in November 2022. At that point, the Spaniard already had four Europa League victories on his resume (three with Sevilla FC, one with Villarreal FC) and had won the French championship once and cup twice with Paris St. Germain. He had also coached Arsenal in the English top division.

Emery’s tactics

Emery relies on intensive pressing and position changes throughout the 90 minutes. This makes predicting Aston Villa’s next move difficult. The Spaniard pays a lot of attention to detail. A healthy balance between offense and defense is very important to him.
 

The Squad

Aston Villa has made some notable additions for the upcoming season: Among others, former HSV midfielder Amadou Onana has joined from Everton FC and Ian Maatsen, who played left-back for Borussia Dortmund in the second half of the season.

You may also know Leon Bailey. The Jamaican played in the Bundesliga for Bayer 04 Leverkusen between 2017 and 2021, where he outclassed many opponents on the wing and dazzled fans in the stands with his speed and dribbling skills. Last season, Bailey scored ten goals – making him the club’s second-best goalscorer.
 

Players to watch

• Youri Tielemans (the brains behind the midfield, Belgian National Player)
   
• Ross Barkley (joined recently from Luten Town, had an amazing season with the Premier League debutants)
   
• Pau Torres (seasoned centerback, used to play for Villarreal)

RBL can therefore look forward to a top-class test opponent – ​​and a first real assessment of the preparations for the new season.