Aston Villa vs Real Sociedad: Match Preview

Aston Villa are entering their pre-season schedule after an impressive 2025/26 campaign that saw them finish fourth in the Premier League and earn a place in the UEFA Champions League. Unai Emery’s side have already begun their preparations, opening with a dominant 5-0 victory over Walsall before suffering a narrow 1-2 defeat against Porto in their latest outing. The Birmingham club still have three more warm-up matches to fine-tune their squad before competitive action begins. Their biggest upcoming challenge will be the UEFA Super Cup clash with PSG in two weeks, followed by one final friendly ahead of their Premier League opener against Manchester United on August 23.

Real Sociedad had a more inconsistent league campaign last season, finishing 10th in La Liga, but they ended the year on a high note by lifting the Copa del Rey and securing a place in the UEFA Europa League. The Basque club have already started their summer preparations with three friendlies under their belt. After losing to Pau in their opening fixture, they drew with Racing Santander before recording a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton. Imanol Alguacil’s side still have four more pre-season tests scheduled as they continue building fitness and tactical cohesion ahead of their La Liga opener against Real Betis on August 21.

Match facts and head-to-head

Both teams are using this fixture as part of their preparations for the new season.

Aston Villa will compete in the UEFA Champions League, while Real Sociedad will feature in the UEFA Europa League.

Aston Villa and Real Sociedad have never previously faced each other in an official match.

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