Aston Villa begin their second season in the Championship with the visit of recently relegated Hull, with both sides keen to bounce back to the fortunes of the Premier League this year.

Villa boss Steve Bruce must work carefully this summer after being handed just a £1 million transfer budget, and the former Man Utd defender has been instructed to sell before he buys.

Bruce looks set to be injected with funds once the sale of Jordan Amavi to Sevilla is confirmed, and will use the cash to improve his squad in the coming weeks.

Villa’s summer has been dominated so far by their pursuit of former Chelsea and England captain John Terry, and the chase ended with success, when the 36 year signed a one year contract with the option for a further year.

Hull’s summer has been less exciting, with no new faces at the KCOM Stadium and Harry Maguire and Curtis Davies both notable departures from Bruce’s former club.

New boss Leonid Slutsky has it all to do if he is to drag the Tigers to a promotion challenge, and must awaken from his slumber by adding new names to the roster in the coming weeks.

Russian Slutsky has close ties with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, so Hull fans are hoping that this link is exploited and a number of Chelsea’s fringe players spend time on the Humber next season.

Both these former Premier League sides will harbour promotion aspirations, but Aston Villa look better placed to launch a sustained challenge at the top.

Last year Villa spent big to bolster their strike force with the acquisitions of Jonathan Kodjia and Scott Hogan, and the pair will form a devastating partnership at Villa Park this season.

Hull may need a year of transition in the mould of their opening day opponents, and Slutsky must be patient, as success is not guaranteed in the trenches of the Championship.

At this stage of the summer, Villa look the more settled of the two sides, and with John Terry marshalling the back four, the Birmingham based club would steal a win from under the noses of Slutsky’s men.