By Dan Harrison

Paul Lambert believes Saturday's final pre-season friendly against Werder Bremen will be ideal preparation for Villa ahead of the big Barclays Premier League kick-off.

The clash against the Bundesliga outfit - which will be screened live on AVTV - is Villa's final dress rehearsal before the top-flight campaign begins against West Ham the following weekend.

The match came about after a warm-up fixture against Wolves was called off because of the Molineux men's Capital One Cup commitments.

It means Lambert is set for a return to the Weserstadion - a stadium he played at during his spell with Borussia Dortmund in the 1990s.

And the Villa boss reckons the friendly clash will be an good test for his squad.

"It just kind of fell into our laps really when Wolves said they were unable to fulfil the friendly because of cup commitments which is fine," said Lambert.

"I know Werder Bremen's stadium because I played there with Borussia Dortmund.

"It might have changed a bit from when I was a player, but they are a good team.

"The Bundesliga is a strong league and it will be a good place to play.

"It's that last game to play and then we come back and into the final week before the season starts and we are right into it."

Watch Villa's clash with Werder Bremen LIVE on AVTV - click here.