Aston Villa and Bayern Munich meet for just the third time and the first time on non-European soil on Friday when they face each other at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium.
The Villans have won the two previous meetings between the sides, most famously in the 1982 European Cup Final.
The stakes are nowhere near the same this time around, but ahead of the new domestic campaign neither side will want to go into the season on the back of a loss.
Europa League winners Villa's first competitive match of the campaign is the UEFA Super Cup showdown with UEFA Champions League winners Paris-Saint Germain.
A meeting with German giants Bayern is the perfect fine-tuning exercise for Unai Emery's side ahead of the clash with PSG in Salzburg next Wednesday evening.
Bayern Munich v Aston Villa Tips Summary
Best Bet - Bayern Munich to win and both teams to score @ 21/10
Alternative Bet - Over 3.5 goals @ 1/1
Bet Builder - Luis Diaz anytime goalscorer, Bayern Munich -1 & Most goals in the second half @ 12/1
Bayern Munich v Aston Villa Prediction
Best Bet: Bayern Munich to win and both teams to score @ 21/10
Both Bayern and Villa remain without many of their international players following their extended break from action after the conclusion of the World Cup.
Villa are also without Morgan Rodgers and Youri Tielemans, who have made big-money moves away from the club this summer and their absences will be keenly felt as Emery rebuilds his team for the campaign ahead.
Johan Manzambi will go some way to filling their absence in midfield, but the Switzerland international remains unavailable due to fitness concerns.
He joins captain John McGinn on the sidelines after the Scot hobbled off in Villa's last friendly, while Amadou Onana is another long-term absentee for Emery to contend with heading into the new season.
Given the absentees for Villa and the looming task of taking on PSG on Wednesday in the Super Cup, Emery is likely to rotate heavily in his team's final pre-season fixture.
Bayern boss Vincent Kompany is also without a host of international stars, but his German contingent are back in action and, given the strength in depth Bayern have, the Bavarians should be too strong for Villa and can run out winners in an entertaining encounter.
Alternative Bet: Over 3.5 goals @ 1/1
With both teams finalising their plans ahead of the new season and risks not wanting to be taken on any fitness concerns, an open match could be in store.
Bayern have scored a whopping 18 goals in three friendlies this summer, while 18 have been scored across Villa's four pre-season matches, with three of those four fixtures seeing four goals or more.
Backing a high-scoring encounter in Hong Kong appeals as a consequence.
Bayern Munich v Aston Villa Bet Builder Tip
Luis Diaz anytime goalscorer
Bayern Munich -1
Most goals in the second half
Pays 12/1
Luis Diaz has returned to action following his break from action after the World Cup and the Colombian will be the main threat in attack for Bayern in this clash.
Harry Kane and Michael Olise are yet to join up with the squad after making it to the final weekend of the World Cup, so the onus will be on Diaz to take responsibility for Bayern's goalscoring , a job he is more than capable of doing.
Given Villa's injury issues and the proximity of the Super Cup clash with PSG, Emery can be forgiven for resting some of his key men.
As a result, Bayern could run out comfortable winners in Hong Kong, so backing the Bavarians to win by two goals or more appeals.
With tiring legs and humidity a factor, defensive lapses could be a feature of the second half.
Bayern's squad depth gives them the edge over Villa and they canmake that count in the second half as the Villans' backline wearies.
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Key Match Stats
Aston Villa have won both previous encounters with Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have scored 18 goals in three pre-season fixtures
Villa's four friendly matches have produced a total of 18 goals
Bayern averaged 3.6 goals per game last season
Villa averaged 1.5 goals per 90 minutes in the 2025-26 campaign
The Villans won the last clash between the pair 1-0 in 2024
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
