After an unfruitful USA tour, Aston Villa will look for a morale-boosting win on Wednesday evening when they take on Athletic Bilbao at Bescot Stadium in Walsall.
After losing to top MLS team Columbus Crew and Champions League regulars RB Leipzig in their first two games of a brief trip in the United States, Unai Emery's Aston Villa finished their pre-season tour with a 1-0 loss to Club America in Chicago.
Athletic Club's pre-season, meanwhile, has been a mixed bag, with three victories and two losses, and they still have two games to play before the 2024-25 season begins.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Aston Villa vs Athletic Club kick-off time
| Date: | Wednesday, August 7, 2024 |
| Kick-off time: | 7:30 pm BST |
| Venue: | Bescot Stadium |
The match will be played at Bescot Stadium on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, with kick-off at 7:30 pm BST for fans in the UK.
How to watch Aston Villa vs Athletic Club online - TV channels & live streams
In the US and worldwide, the match between Aston Villa and Athletic Club will be available to watch on Villa TV.
Viewers can tune into GOAL's Live Match Centre for live updates.
How to watch anywhere with VPN
If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are not sure which VPN to use, check out GOAL's guide to the best VPNs for streaming sport.
Team news & squads
Aston Villa team news
In all three matches of Aston Villa's tour in the United States, head coach Unai Emery has used a roster of 22 players and a similar level of rotation is anticipated in Walsall, with match fitness for the entire squad being the main focus.
Summer signing Ian Maatsen made his first start against America in the last match, while another recent addition, Lewis Dobbin, nearly scored a late equaliser. Big-money signing Amadou Onana will also join Samuel Iling-Junior, Ross Barkley and Enzo Barrenechea in the squad.
Jhon Duran, Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins participated in the continental finals in mid-July, so they are still on an extended break and have yet to return.
Aston Villa possible XI: Gauci; Cash, Carlos, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Barkley; Bailey, McGinn, Rogers; Archer
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Martínez, Olsen, Gauci, Marschall |
| Defenders: | Cash, Maatsen, Torres, Digne, Mings, Carlos, Konsa, Moreno, Nedeljković, Sousa, Kesler-Hayden, Hause, Feeney, Swinkels |
| Midfielders: | Tielemans, Bailey, Buendía, Kamara, McGinn, Barkley, Barrenechea, Dendoncker, Ramsey, Rogers, Bogarde, Young |
| Forwards: | Watkins, Diaby, Durán, Iling Junior, Archer, Barry, Dobbin |
Athletic Club team news
Athletic Bilbao's marquee signing this summer is Alvaro Djalo, who joins from Braga. The 24-year-old winger has strong ties to the Basque region, having grown up partly in Bilbao, allowing him to meet the club's strict eligibility criteria.
In last week's victory over Osasuna, the lightning-quick Djalo made a significant impact, scoring the opening goal and providing an assist for Inaki Williams' strike. Although star player Nico Williams is still regaining his sharpness after an impressive Euro 2024 campaign, he is expected to feature in the starting lineup once again.
Athletic Bilbao will also be without their other Euro 2024 champions, Dani Vivian and Unai Simon. Simon's absence is due to wrist surgery, which may sideline him for up to three months, paving the way for Alex Padilla to deputise in goal
Athletic Bilbao possible XI: Padilla; De Marcos, Yeray, Paredes, Berchiche; Herrera, Prados; I. Williams, Sancet, Djalo; Guruzeta
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Simón, Agirrezabala, Padilla |
| Defenders: | Vivian, Berchiche, Álvarez, de Marcos, Gorosabel, Paredes, Lekue |
| Midfielders: | Williams (Nico), Williams (Iñaki), Herrera, Sancet, Berenguer, Djaló, Vesga, Ruiz de Galarreta, Gómez, Prados, Serrano (Nico), Jauregizar, Canales, Serrano (Nicolas) |
| Forwards: | Guruzeta, Ares, Martón |
Head-to-Head Record
This will be the first encounter between these two sides in all competitions.