- Solid recruitment should keep Villa in the top six
- Tougher fixture list poses a new challenge
- Recommended bet: Back Aston Villa to finish in the top six

Aston Villa had a fantastic first full season with Unai Emery as manager, securing Champions League football by finishing fourth in the Premier League and reaching the Europa Conference League semi-finals.

Combining their league campaign with some tougher tests in Europe's elite competition will be an even bigger challenge this season but another top-six finish at least appears realistic.

Last season

Aston Villa lost 5-1 at Newcastle in the opening round of last season but never really looked back after that.

Some impressive home form kept them in the hunt for a Champions League place and they claimed the scalps of title contenders Manchester City and Arsenal in back-to-back games in December.

The Villans gained some valuable European experience with their run to the last four of the European Conference League and while they failed to win any of their last six matches in all competitions, they should be raring to go after clinging on to fourth place in the Premier League.

The manager

Emery has restored his reputation in style after disappointing spells at Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. The Spaniard steered Villarreal to a Europa League success in 2020-21 and has done a fantastic job since taking over at Aston Villa in October 2022.

In May he signed a five-year contract extension that should keep him at the club until 2029.

Transfers

Aston Villa have concentrated on young stars with plenty of potential in their summer recruitment with the majority of their arrivals being 23 or under.

The exception is midfielder Ross Barkley, who provides experienced cover, while the key arrival was the £50m capture of Amadou Onana from Everton, which was something of a coup. 

Onana can fill the gap left by the departure of Douglas Luiz, who joined Juventus for £42m.

Young defender Ian Maatsen was not cheap at £37.5m from Chelsea but is highly rated, while forward Cameron Archer has returned to the club after a one-year spell with Sheffield United.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Villa have become an enjoyable side to watch under Emery, with Pau Torres and Lucas Digne giving them a solid defensive platform, while Ezri Konsa's performances earned him a place in England's squad for Euro 2024.

They raised their Premier League goal output from 51 in 2022-23 to 76 last season and Ollie Watkins has developed into one of the Premier League's most prolific scorers.

He finished joint-fourth in the goal charts last season with 19 before proving himself at elite level with a fantastic last-minute winner for England against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.

Watkins, along with Leon Bailey and the departed Luiz, were the club's top three assist-makers as well as top scorers, though, and Emery would no doubt like to see the task of goal creation shared more evenly around his squad.

Best outright bet

Villa pipped Tottenham to fourth place last season and had Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester United behind them in the other top-eight positions, who will all be targeting a top-four finish this time.

Emery's side should be strong again this season and can fancy their chances of holding off at least a couple of those rivals, with the potential of Liverpool to fall back into this pack after losing manager Jurgen Klopp. 

Even so, backing Villa for a top-six finish is preferred to the more risky proposition of them staying in the top four, which is available at 3/1 as their Champions League campaign brings fresh challenges.

Back Aston Villa for a top six finish with LiveScore Bet