Walsall will take on Aston Villa in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday, 16 July, as both teams gear up for very different domestic seasons.
Walsall have another year in the fourth tier of English football to look forward to after letting slip a commanding position in the automatic playoff positions last time around.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, have their third consecutive season in Europe to look forward. While they would prefer to be in the Champions League, there is a feeling that they can have a really good go at the Europa League this season.
How the bookies view it: No odds available
There are no odds available at present for the match. Once they are released, we will update the preview.
Head to head: A pre-season tradition
Ever since 2010, these two teams have played against each other in the vast majority of pre-seasons, making this a bit of a Midlands tradition. Unsurprisingly, it's the Premier League side who have won more often than not and in last summer's corresponding fixture, the Villains ran out as 3-0 winners at the Bescot Stadium.
Players to watch: A glimpse at some future stars
Aston Villa's under-18s team had a brilliant campaign last year, defeating Manchester City's under 18s in the FA Youth Cup final to cap off a memorable season for the young Villains.
A couple of the players from that squad have the potential to make the step up to first team football this season, while others will go out on loan or continue their development with the under 23s. As this is Villa's first pre-season match, there is every chance that some of these young players will feature.
Cole Brannigan, who scored a stunning strike in the win over Manchester City, is one player to keep an eye on this summer. The 18-year-old scored 11 goals in 15 appeareances for the u18s last season and could become part of the first team squad soon if he performs well for the u23s.
Another youngster to keep an eye on is the club's new signing, Zepiqueno Redmond. The Dutch forward has been signed as one for the future but is expected to be involved on Wednesday.
Predicted line-ups
Both managers are expected to field as many players as possible throughout the 90 minutes on Wednesday, so it is very difficult to predict which players will start the match. One man who almost certainly won't be involved is Emiliano Martinez, as rumours about the goalkeeper's future continue to swirl.
Walsall: Roberts – Barrett, Browne, Okagbue, Burke, Hancock – Maher, Lakin – Jellis, Adomah – Matt
Aston Villa: Gauci – Garcia, Mings, Torres, Patterson – Kamara, Barkley, Carroll – Ramsey, Redmond, Young
Anything else catch the eye?
This has been a very one-sided fixture in recent years, with Villa demonstrating their superiority over their lower-league rivals. The Villains have won three of their last four matches against Walsall by a margin of three goals or more. Aston Villa to win with a -2 handicap could be the bet here.
GambleAware