Premier League Club-By-Club Predictions: With another European season on the horizon, can Aston Villa make their mark on the Champions League race?
- therookiereporters
- Aug 7
- 2 min read
For the third-straight season, Aston Villa will have the opportunity to play European football. While the step up didn’t hurt them in their 2023-24 campaign, it did set the team back in 2024-25. Can the team regain their footing? Or will the pressure once again force the team back down the order?
2024-25 saw Aston Villa lose ground in the Premier League table, finishing in sixth after breaking into the top four in 2025.
While the club did gain vital experience in terms of managing European football and domestic competitions, 2025-26 will prove if Aston Villa can maintain their footing in the table and whether they could potentially take a step towards title contention under Unai Emery.
This is the second club-focused preview ahead of the 2025-26 Premier League season.
What Noah says:
Despite finishing in sixth in 2024-25, Aston Villa still secured a place in European football for the 2025-26 campaign by virtue of qualifying for the Europa League league phase. With vital experience under Aston Villa’s belt, the team can look to build on their success of the past two seasons. Their efforts will be boosted by a favourable early slate; outside of matches against Newcastle and Tottenham, Aston Villa could find themselves favoured to win most of their first eight fixtures. It does get tough from there as the team does have to play Manchester City and Liverpool in their next two, with two matches against Arsenal and one against Chelsea to follow in December.
Entering 2026, Aston Villa enjoys a favourable run of form through January and February; they don’t play a top side from last year again until March 4th, when they host Chelsea. They then conclude their season with two games against Manchester City and Liverpool, which could play a major role in their quest to move up in the Premier League table.
Once again, Aston Villa should find themselves in a battle with Newcastle and Chelsea for a Champions League place. While their transfer window was a rather quiet one, I still think Aston Villa could have the upper hand in the aforementioned Champions League battle if they can get off to a strong start early. While a potential transfer for goalkeeper Emi Martinez and its impact on Aston Villa could play a major role, I am going to give the club a favourable place in my table prediction. I think Aston Villa could improve on last year’s sixth-place finish and find themselves fighting for a Champions League place once again.
Projected finish: 5th
What Ellie says:
With a relatively easy start to the season, Aston Villa have time to perfect their formation, slotting in new summer transfers and working on their defensive structure. They have a good chance of playing in Europe again in the 26/27 season.
With their squad having to play in Europe, they may have a difficult time staying clear of injuries as the players gear up for a higher game count. The players must be ready for a hard fight and for what Emery has in store for them. With not a lot of transfers over the summer, they must find a new way to one-up teams.
Projected finish: 5th
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Article written by Noah Guttman and Ellie Swain
