Aston Villa

Birmingham City are the closest rival on the map, and the Second City derby between the two clubs is a fixture with no love lost — bragging rights across one city, worth more some seasons than the league table itself.

Aston Villa were formed in 1874, and most of what the club has to show for the years since belongs to its first century. Seven English league titles arrived before the Premier League existed, the last of them in 1980-81, and none has followed since. Seven FA Cups came in roughly the same stretch, the most recent in 1957. Continental football gave Villa a single trophy for over forty years — the 1982 European Cup, won 1-0 against Bayern Munich, followed that same year by the UEFA Super Cup against Barcelona — until Freiburg were beaten 3-0 in the 2026 Europa League final.

Villa Park has staged all of it. Official capacity stands at 43,205. A rebuild of the North Stand has it down to 37,000 through the 2025-26 season, with the full ground due back for 2027-28. Claret shirts with sky blue sleeves, white shorts and blue socks have stayed the identity long enough that the kit needs no explaining to anyone who follows the Villans.

Whatever the league position, the fixture with Birmingham City keeps its edge — a derby fought over the city, not over where either side happens to sit in the table.