April 29, (THEWILL) – Aston Villa manager, Unai Emery, has expressed his belief that Sunday’s clash with Manchester United will be a battle between two teams in very different moments from their previous meetings earlier in the season.
Villa secured a memorable 3-1 victory over United in November, but were later beaten 4-2 in the Carabao Cup. Emery has since transformed his side from relegation candidates to Champions League contenders, while United have kept themselves in the top four with two games in hand on their Midlands rivals.
“For us, it’s a very good challenge,” Emery said. “It will be a very different match on Sunday to when we played at home when I arrived here. Very different match to when we played in the Carabao Cup there and lost 4-2. Now is a different moment for them and for us. But, as well, it will be very difficult for us.”
Villa have gone 10 games unbeaten, collecting 26 points in the process, and sit sixth in the table. Meanwhile, United have had a strong season, winning the Carabao Cup and making it to the final of the FA Cup, though Emery believes a UEFA Europa League or Europa Conference League spot is a more realistic goal than a top-four finish.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
