Express & Star

Aston Villa and West Brom to face off in joint training exercise

Villa will host Albion on Saturday in a joint training exercise as preparations for the season’s restart continue to build.

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The session will take place at Villa Park and though the precise details are yet to be ironed out, it is expected the rivals will face each other in 11-a-side matches lasting between 45 minutes to an hour.

Both clubs are likely to field two different teams, with the emphasis on building fitness levels and match sharpness with football’s resumption now rapidly approaching.

Villa, who are battling to preserve their Premier League status, are due to get the ball rolling on the top flight’s return when they host Sheffield United on Wednesday week.

The Baggies, who are pushing for promotion from the Championship, are expected to restart their campaign a fortnight today.

Slaven Bilic’s team are thought to have been granted permission to move to the third and final stage of the EFL’s training protocols, which permits them to play 11-a-side matches.

Saturday’s session will not be streamed online and both clubs have been eager to stress it is not a formal match, with coaching staff required to officiate.

There will be no online stream of the exercise and neither Albion or Villa are expected to mention it on their social media channels.

The rivals are expected to organise more conventional friendlies next week, though the exercise will allow Villa to test out biosecurity measures at the ground.