(Reuters) – Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is not taking Manchester United lightly despite their poor start to the season and said he would prepare more for Sunday’s Premier League game than he did for their midweek Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich.
Villa defeated Bayern 1-0 on Wednesday and are flying high with six wins and a draw from their last seven games across all competitions.
But Emery’s side have lost their last four games to United and the Spanish coach warned last season’s FA Cup winners will offer a tough challenge at Villa Park regardless of their current form with Erik ten Hag’s team 13th in the league table.
“They are a winning team. They have an experienced coach, experienced players. The club is usually a winning club. They are still winners, last year they won the FA Cup,” Emery told reporters on Friday.
“They are not getting consistently good results in the Premier League, but in one match they can exploit their capacity and have a huge performance.
“I respect them and I will prepare the match more than how I prepared the match against Bayern Munich.”
Having last played in the Champions League 41 years ago, Emery said staying competitive in Europe’s top club competition and finishing in the top four is a challenge.
But the Villa boss said their priority was maintaining consistency in the Premier League.
“We are not favourites to be in the top seven of the Premier League. We want to be a contender and we are in the process of getting points,” said Emery, whose side are fifth with 13 points.
“The process started with the results we’ve had for the last two years, we are now involved in the Champions League, but consistency is the most important thing. That starts on the pitch.
“There are a lot of examples of how difficult it is to stay competitive and be consistent in Europe. How do we get into Europe? Through the Premier League. Staying consistent in the Premier League is the first objective I have.”
Emery said Villa will assess midfielder Jacob Ramsey and winger Leon Bailey’s fitness but they are both doubts for the game.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
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