The unbeaten streak of Aston Villa is going to be put to the test. Welcoming Crystal Palace to Villa Park is not exactly the team that supporters would want to have come to B6 at this point. Villa have not exactly played well to this point in the campaign, and there have not been the added reinforcements that other sides have enjoyed.
Add the injuries to Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana, and the Villa squad is in a tough situation for the third Premier League match of the season.
When looking at the standings, Palace are not too far ahead of Villa at the moment. Their matches, however, have looked better as they have drawn against Chelsea and Nottingham Forest. While they too are not firing on all cylinders, to this point they are in better form than that of Villa.
It is known how much of a thorn Palace can be in the side of Villa. To have this fixture on the schedule at this exact moment is going to be a difficult challenge for Unai Emery's men to overcome.
Although it would be more ideal for Villa to have started the season on a better note, this does present an opportunity. Good teams have to be able to achieve a positive result even when factors are stacked up against the best-case scenario for the Matchday on hand.
Important Aston Villa test
Especially when looking at the midfield situation, the Sunday fixture will pose an incredible obstacle. If Emery's men are still able to pull off a result, then it will speak to the way in which this side is able to respond in the face of adversity.
When Emery asks for a response, this is the exact type of scenario that the Villa boss speaks of when asking for the players and supporters to dig deep and remain strong. A lot is working against Villa at the moment. It is time to see how the squad aims to overcome this difficult time for the club.