Bayern and Aston Villa Set for Hong Kong Friendly

Bayern Munich will face Aston Villa in a friendly in Hong Kong on Friday evening. With the Bundesliga champions not travelling at full strength and the match primarily serving as preparation, a draw would not be a surprising outcome.

Bayern are visiting Hong Kong for the first time in 19 years, with head coach Vincent Kompany bringing a 26-player squad on the Asian tour. Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Luis Díaz are among the star names, while Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, Michael Olise and Alphonso Davies have not made the trip.

Bayern opened their tour against Jeju SK on Tuesday and edged to a 2-1 victory. Kompany gave several young players valuable minutes, and he may adopt a similar approach against Villa, increasing the possibility of an evenly contested match.

With Aston Villa preparing to compete on multiple fronts in the new season, Unai Emery began the club's pre-season programme early and has arranged a series of friendlies since late last month. Villa recorded one win and two defeats in their first three matches against European opposition before beginning their Asian tour with consecutive 3-1 victories over Indonesia All Stars and BG Pathum United.

Emiliano Buendía has been Villa's standout performer on the tour, scoring in both matches, while Ross Barkley and Boubacar Kamara have also found the net. With the team showing strong attacking form, Villa will have no reason to fear a talented Bayern side.