Aston Villa fixtures hand Unai Emery an early opportunity to establish another Champions League challenge, with 12 points from the opening six Premier League games looking like a strong but realistic target.
Villa begin away at Brighton before facing champions Arsenal at Villa Park, travelling to promoted Hull City, hosting Nottingham Forest, visiting Tottenham and then welcoming Brentford. The sequence is confirmed by Aston Villa and the Premier League, although individual dates remain subject to movement.
It is not necessarily an easy start. The Premier League’s own fixture difficulty analysis rates Villa’s opening schedule at 3.2, putting Emery’s side alongside Brighton and Chelsea among the clubs facing one of the more demanding early programmes.
Even so, there are enough opportunities for Villa to build serious momentum.
Brighton and Arsenal give Villa immediate examination
Brighton (A): Draw, 1 point
Villa could hardly ask for a more intriguing opener.
Brighton finished eighth last season on 53 points, but Villa have enjoyed this fixture recently. Emery’s side won 4-3 at the Amex last season, recovering from two goals down as Ollie Watkins scored twice.
A point would represent a perfectly respectable beginning, particularly with Brighton away ranked as one of Villa’s more difficult fixtures.
Arsenal (H): Draw, 1 point
Then come the champions.
Arsenal finished 20 points above Villa last season after winning the Premier League with 85 points, so nobody should view this as a fixture Villa simply have to win.
Villa Park changes the equation.
Emery’s side beat Arsenal 2-1 at home last December, with Emi Buendia scoring a dramatic late winner. Villa have already shown they can hurt Mikel Arteta’s team in B6.
Four points from the first two would be exceptional. Two would still leave Villa well placed.
Aston Villa must capitalise on middle of opening run
Hull City (A): Win, 3 points
This is where the expectation rises.
Hull are newly promoted, and a team with Villa’s ambitions should be targeting three points despite the obvious danger attached to visiting a promoted club early in the season.
Nottingham Forest (H): Win, 3 points
Forest finished 16th last season on 44 points, 21 behind Villa.
Villa Park therefore needs to produce three points if Emery’s side want another top-four challenge.
Those Hull and Forest matches could prove particularly important because Villa’s opening six contain three significantly more awkward opponents around them.
Tottenham trip could decide whether Villa hit 12-point target
Tottenham (A): Draw, 1 point
Spurs finished 17th last season, but their league position alone makes this dangerous to judge.
An away match in north London remains difficult, and taking a point would keep Villa moving without demanding perfection from the opening weeks.
Brentford (H): Win, 3 points
This should be targeted as another home victory.
Brentford finished ninth last season, level with Brighton on 53 points, so they are hardly straightforward opposition.
But if Villa want to finish among England’s leading clubs again, matches of this type at Villa Park are exactly where Emery needs maximum returns.
That gives Villa a projected haul of:
Brighton: 1
Arsenal: 1
Hull: 3
Nottingham Forest: 3
Tottenham: 1
Brentford: 3
Total: 12 points from 18.
The significance increases when looking beyond Brentford.
ReadAstonVilla’s full fixture guide shows Newcastle away and Manchester City at Villa Park immediately follow, before further meetings with Fulham and Manchester United.
Villa’s squad also enters the campaign with uncertainty still to resolve, including Juventus walking away from their pursuit of Emi Martinez just days before the opener.
Twelve points would not guarantee anything in August and October.
It would, however, give Villa exactly the platform they need before the difficulty starts rising.
