Unai Emery has challenged his Aston Villa players to increase their standards even higher prior to the last two months of the season.
Villa’s season may be determined by the last few months, because they challenge Europe in the Premier League, as well as the FA Cup and Champions League.
Emery’s are currently ninth, two points behind the fourth placed Manchester City in the top-four race, while they are confronted with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarterfinals and Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final in an ActionPolle April.
With their cup and European exploits that have lasted center stage in recent weeks, they have on Wednesday opposite the top-four Rivals Brighton in what their first Premier League match is in 24 days.
Prior to the trip to the Amex, Emery said: “We are enthusiastic and demand ourselves to be focused in three games in the past two months. We are motivated to get our best performance collective and try to reduce many goals that we have admitted.
“We get better in the last games. Tomorrow we are again a very good test for how we can be more consistent, play at the level that we want to reach and in the level that we get at the end of the season to play in the Premier League and reach top seven, top six or top five.
“There are many teams fighting for these positions. In the FA Cup we play a semi -final and a quarter final in the Champions League.
“It is amazing how we are approaching the last part of the season. But we are aware of how difficult it will be and how much we should be to get better.”
Unai: “Everyone is ready, everyone is focused. This is 100% football.”
The full press conference of the boss for #Bhaavl Is now on Villatv 📺
– Aston Villa (@AVFCofficial) April 1, 2025
Emery on top-four race
After getting the opportunities to reach the top four last season, Villa is a little more inconsistent this period, although they still belong to a number of parties in the race to reach the Champions League again.
Villa’s manager added on the top-four Race: “Thirty-eight matches is when you are ready and the table is honest for everyone. We are in the last part of the season and every point that we have reached and lost, now the moment we have to identify how we are, focus on every match and reality that Brighton has two points [more than us] In a European position.
“To get Conference League, Europa League of Champions League is the consequences of how we do in the season. Brighton is now and tomorrow is three points for them, three points for us or one point for each team.
“We are going to try to prepare for the competition, think to reach the three points. We respect them and are very demanding with how we can achieve it.”
Villa Team News: Bailey Out, Barkley Back in the training
Leon Bailey and Ross Barkley are the only doubts for the Villans prior to the trip to the south coast, with Amadou Onana, Pau Torres and
“Leon Bailey, still, with a hard staircase, and I think he is not going to train this afternoon and hard to play the game for tomorrow.
“We have our training session this afternoon and try to take the time after the last game [FA Cup quarter-final against Preston] We played on Sunday.
“In the beginning, [Ross] Barkley, he trained with the group yesterday.
“Other players gradually came back and hopefully they will – after the game we played and the training that we will do this afternoon – will be available, everyone.”
