Aston Villa are set to play an extra match during the upcoming international break for a special occasion.
The international break is normally used for the clubs to rest their players who do not make the cut in their nations’ squad for either friendly or international matches in the major competition qualifiers. Yet, for Aston Villa, they would have a shorter rest as they have been scheduled to have an extra match of their own.
According to the report in Marca, Villa has been selected for a special friendly match during the upcoming international break, which begins on September 21 and ends on October 6.
“Aston Villa will almost certainly be the opponent for Luis García Plaza’s team, in a match scheduled for Friday, October 2nd at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium.”
The friendly match which Villa is invited is actually a match to pay tribute to Antonio Puerta or Antonio Puerta trophy. It is the 15th edition this year. Puerta was a former Sevilla man who passed away in 2007 due to heart problem three days after he suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for his team in a match against Getafe in La Liga on the 25th of August.
This match is normally staged during the pre-season. However, it was postponed last summer due to being unable to find the possible date. This season would also be the fourth time when the match is held in the middle of the campaign. The previous three taking place during the international break were the 3rd, 6th and 8th editions. Sevilla faced off Granada, Almeria and the Argentine giant, Boca Juniors.
In the last three editions, Sevilla’s opponents have been from outside Europe. They were Ecuador’s Independiente Della Valle, and two Saudi sides in the 2024 and 2025 consecutively, Al Ittihad and Al Qadsiah.
Villa would be the first English team invited for this match and the seventh foreign teams as well. Boca Juniors was the first one to have such honor. For The Lions, it would be a chance to gel the squad who has been on a rebuilding phase this season.
Since the match is held in the middle of the international break, those who receive international call-ups would definitely be unavailable. The likes of Zion Suzuki, captain John McGinn, Matty Cash, Victor Lindelof, Nicolas Jackson, Ibrahim Mbaye and probably Pau Torres, Boubacar Kamara, Leon Goretzka, Brian Madjo and George Hemmings, if they are named in their nations’ squad including England U19 and U21 side, will not be part of the team for this match.
Interestingly, prior to this match, Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan will be hosting the Spain’s fixtures in the Nations League versus Croatia. It will be staged on September 30. For Emery, this match would also be his first return to his former club and the stadium. The last time he headed to that venue was in 2021 when he was still at the helm of Villareal.
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