Unai Emery hopes ‘new test’ can get Aston Villa’s season up and running

Villa have failed to win any of their first three games of the current campaign but Emery says he saw enough improvement in Saturday’s goalless draw at Hull to raise confidence of a change in fortunes.

“I think the last match…we showed, collectively, some improvements,” Emery told a press conference.

“We started (with) the Premier League as our objective at the end of the season, and we are progressing. Still not enough, because we are not getting good results, but tomorrow is a new test, and a new test in Europe.”

Villa’s current plight is a far cry from their status at the end of last season when they emphatically booked their return to the Champions League both by finishing fourth in the top flight and thumping Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final in Istanbul.

And the manner of their qualification remains a source of pride for Emery, who led Villa in their third-tier Conference League campaign in 2023.

That year, Villa battled through trips to the likes of Warsaw and Mostar before reaching the semi-finals where they were heavily beaten in both legs by Greek side Olympiacos.

“To be here in Champions League is something fantastic, and how we achieved it we can continue feeling proud of how we did, through finishing fourth in the league and winning in Europe,” added Emery.

“We started playing Conference League, we played together in the Champions League two years ago, and last year in another competition, in the Europa League, we were successful.

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“But it’s a new chapter, and completely different. When we started the project here, the vision we had was in our highest expectation, even maybe was not to be in Europe four years in a row, with two in the Champions League.”

Villa have recent memories of Club Brugge, having lost 1-0 in their previous Champions League campaign in November 2024. In contrast, their opponents have made a strong start to their domestic season, winning four of their five league games to date.

Villa are without Johan Manzambi, who has not travelled with the squad as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Joao Gomes returns from suspension, but Leon Goretzka is also still absent, and posted on social media this week that he will be sidelined until after the international break.

“Goretzka’s issue is a bit frustrating, but we have players who can replace him,” added Emery.

“When he’s coming back, hopefully he can get the consistency in training and playing and we can add his experience. He is a player who will help us in different competitions with the level he has.”