Aston Villa are back, even if football didn’t exactly go away. We saw the Lionesses roar (almost to a final!), we saw the Confederations Cup and all manner of youth tournaments over the summer. However, this is the big one for us. Aston Villa open up Villa Park to play Hull in what should be the perfect showcase of Villa’s abilities for the coming season.

Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images

Villa were almost unbeaten at home last season, it was two slumps that lead to them losing a number of games after doing so well. That’s the target for Villa this season if they want to go up - they can’t be losing at home.

But this is Aston Villa - the most unpredictable team in the world. Never bet against them, or for them!

Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Hull come down from the Premier League having lost a number of key players and in a transitional phase somewhat more positive than Sunderland’s current metamorphasis. Hull seem like the team Villa were this time last season, except with a star striker to start game one with!

Please win Villa. We could all do with it!

UTV!

Location: Villa Park, Birmingham, England

Kick-off time: 5.30 PM BST, 12.30 AM Eastern, 9.30 AM Pacific

Available TV: ESPN3 in the USA and Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football in the UK.

Available streaming: SKY GO, WATCHESPN

Available radio: BBC WM 95.6 FM (not online), AVTV (If audio doesn’t work, try using Safari)

Other listings are available from livesoccertv.com.

Aston Villa squad

Hull squad

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