The first leg of the play-off tie will be in the Austrian capital on August 20, which means the Claret and Blue will get little respite after their opening day clash with Wigan on August 15.
Villa will return from Austria, hopefully with an aggregate lead, and then be forced to throw themseves into a tough game against Liverpool at Anfield on the following Monday night.
Martin O'Neill will now be desperate to add some reinforcements to a squad which includes just two senior centre backs.
The fixture list now looks a little more crowded and the Villa boss will definitely be keen to give some of his first team players more rest than they had last season.
O'Neill will also be eager to ensure that he does not have to sacrifice a competition like he did with the Uefa Cup last February.
Should Villa progress against Rapid Vienna in the play-off they will then face a group stage which will see them play a further six games before they can begin to think about the knock-out stages.
It is undoubtedly a big test but one which fans and players will relish. Hopefully the manager will now build a squad that is really capable of winning the trophy.