Unai Emery expressed his thoughts on facing West Ham in the Premier League.
Aston Villa have lost more momentum in the race for the Champions League qualification spots after a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, falling three points behind the Red Devils.
Chelsea and Liverpool lost on Saturday 22 March, so Villa can consolidate a position in the top four with a positive result at Villa Park. However, the Irons are likely to offer stiff resistance: they drew 1-1 against Manchester City last week and are on the cusp of pulling themselves out of the bottom three.
“To win is always bringing confidence for us. But we are being very demanding in everything and winning, drawing or losing, we are analysing deeply, always how we are doing things.
“Even winning, being demanding to improve things, we will need for the future. But how we are now, with the priority in the Premier League, in the fourth position playing on Sunday 23 March against West Ham is a really exciting moment and a very motivated moment for us and for the supporters.
“How we can keep being consistent in the Premier League. Even not performing, getting results in the last matches in the Premier League, we are in a good position to try to be motivated and excited for Sunday 23 March against West Ham, with the supporters in Villa Park, and for the rest of the season.
“Europa League is another very huge motivation. We are in the quarter-final, of course, Europe is really fantastic how we are performing, getting to the semi-final two years ago against Olympiacos in Conference League. Last year, playing a quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, the best team in the world. They showed it, and how we were performing as well, we were close to beating them.
“And this year, now Bologna, they beat one of the favourite teams, Roma, yesterday. They are performing fantastic, they have good players, and their coach, he is an experienced coach, he’s played two finals in the last four years in Europe. And, of course, massive respect for them.
“But how we are is something we must be very proud of how we are doing it. Premier League and Europa League and, of course, I am now really glad how we are going to face, how we are going to play, the last two months in those competitions.
“I can speak again about West Ham, the club or about the coach. And this connection is really fantastic because West Ham is a great club and, of course, in Premier League, now they are struggling in the bottom. But progressively they are getting better clearly with Nuno Espirito Santo.
“His experience is really amazing, managing a different moment in his career as a coach, with teams like West Ham performing fantastic, playing in Europe and competing with their personality and Nuno’s personality. They are now the last two matches they played, they only lost two, they have lost two against Liverpool and against Chelsea in the last minute. It means a lot.
“They are improving a lot and they are now getting more points, they are competing fantastic. I think they are going to avoid the relegation places because they have fantastic players. I think the Premier League is very difficult and, for different circumstances, it can happen for West Ham or even we were involved in it as well some years before.
“This is the Premier League. But now how they are, and how they are competing, and how they are going to face us on Sunday 23 March, is really difficult, a very difficult match. Now, Aston Villa in Villa Park against West Ham,, how we are both is a very equal match, my expectation.”