Aston Villa have made several changes to the team over the summer. So far, it has been easy going for the club in the pre-season. Their biggest test will be Spanish club Malaga, who will be the opponents at Villa Park. This is also the final friendly match for the club before the season starts with an away match against Arsenal. Villa were almost relegated last season only for the club to go on a good run of form in the final few weeks of the campaign to finish just above the relegation zone. Lambert said after the end of last season that he wanted the club to be in the top of the table this season.

One of the biggest victories ahead of the new campaign has been the ability to keep star striker Christian Benteke, who contributed more than 50% of the team’s goals last season. The Belgian striker was heavily linked with a move away from the club with the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham looking to pay around £ 25 million for his services. He even handed a transfer request a few weeks ago, but manager Lambert was able to convince him to stay at Villa Park. Benteke then signed a new contract that doubled his wages.

“It’s another level we’ve got to step up to but we’re looking forward to it. They were Champions League quarter-finalists last year so it will be really tough for us. But we’ll see how we get on. We’ll be at our home stadium, the pitch will be lovely, the crowd will be coming right behind us and it will be a really good game and good atmosphere for people to come and enjoy. There’s no real pressure on it, it’s another friendly before we start the following week,” said Lambert.