Ahead of their upcoming Premier League game against Manchester United, Unai Emery set a challenge for the high-flying Lions.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has challenged his players to prove their worth against Manchester United.
In a Boxing Day clash, Villa will play against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Lions sit 11 points above their eighth-placed opponents in the Premier League. They rank third with 39 points, tied with Liverpool and one point behind Arsenal.
“Each team deserves their position in the Premier League,” Emery said.
“We demand a lot of ourselves, I’m happy and proud of the work we’ve done so far.
“We’re facing Manchester United better than them in the table at the moment. But they are thought of as a top-seven team more than we are. We have to work out how we can face those teams.”
Against the current top six teams this season, Villa have collected five wins out of six matches, losing just once. That said, four of their five wins came at home. Their sole away win was against Tottenham in November, where they won 2-1 in London.
On the road, Villa have had a mixed bag of results this season, winning just four out of their nine away games. They drew twice and lost three times.
“At the start of the season, we played at Newcastle and lost, then the same at Liverpool but we’ve also won at Tottenham and Chelsea. Once again, we’re away at United and the challenge is more for us than it is at home,” Emery continued.
“Our mentality is to keep going and compete every day. We’re consistent and competitive and that’s not changing. We’re aiming to keep this position and do something in the Europa Conference League.”
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