Unai Emery exclusive: Aston Villa aiming to use added motivation to rectify mistakes against Man Utd as title dream bubbles away

Aston Villa will be seeking revenge on Manchester United this weekend as Unai Emery's side look to keep within touching distance of Arsenal and Manchester City in the title race.

Two hundred and ten days after a controversial defeat at Old Trafford on the last day of the 2024/25 campaign, which saw Unai Emery's squad miss out on Champions League football as a result of a 2-0 loss, Villa meet Man Utd once again - but with more than a spot among Europe's elite now in their line of sight.

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Villa are within touching distance of Man City and Arsenal in the title race and rectifying the mistakes from the last meeting with Ruben Amorim's side presents the latest opportunity to shift their title-winning dreams into a more achievable reality.

"Yes, of course," Emery told Sky Sports when asked if the ending to last season adds extra motivation heading into Sunday's clash at Villa Park, live on Sky Sports.

"Manchester United is very difficult. We are so motivated to try to keep our consistency against them because the three years since I arrived here, we are performing and competing with them, sometimes beating them, sometimes behind them, but always close.

"Now we are even in front of them, with some advantage, but to play on Sunday for three points, for us, is a really huge moment. To get this opportunity is strong motivation for us."

'We need to be humble to believe we can win title'

Up until now, Emery has been reluctant to include his side in the title race, with full focus always on the next fixture.

Opta currently have their odds of securing a first league title since 1981 at just 5.8 per cent - but the fact these conversations are taking place only highlights the remarkable turnaround since Emery arrived in the Second City in October 2022.

A time when slipping back into the Championship seemed more likely than silverware.

A difficult Christmas period - consisting of Chelsea and Arsenal away after facing United - now approaches but when the question was posed to the Villa boss about the title race, he remained coy on the topic with a wry smile on his face.

"Of course, I would like to be a favourite to win the Premier League, but we are not favourites," Emery admitted.

"We are performing very well, we are competing very well and we are now third. This is the reality.

"But to feel favourites, to really think we can win the Premier League, our objective is to try to be consistent and to try to be very, very demanding. And through it, being humble."

Can Villa outrun xG?

Emery's reference to consistency arrives among a debate surrounding the success of his side.

Villa have scored 25 goals from an expected goals value of just 17.11 xG in the top-flight. Only Tottenham are currently outperforming that metric by a higher margin.

Morgan Rogers' winner against West Ham, Boubacar Kamara's thunderbolt at home to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers and Emi Buendia's effort to stun Tottenham on the road.

These are just a few of the goals that have contributed to an impressive run of 10 wins in their last 11 Premier League games, but is it sustainable?

Emery is opting to focus on areas of improvement, using their recent successes, however it may have come to be, as a foundation to build on.

"We are working every day in different ways to win matches. Firstly, defensively, because we must defend strongly," he continued.

"Secondly, offensively, how can we get better collectively, tactically, and try to feel comfortable each player playing with their qualities and in the best position they can feel it.

"And then, scoring goals in different ways. Set-pieces are very important and we are working a lot, a lot as we lead. How we can feel better is my priority every day and every match we are facing

"Even winning, we have a lot of things to improve."

Emery opens the door for January signings

The Premier League isn't the only front Villa are looking to compete in. Last term, Emery guided his side into the quarter-finals of the Champions League, an FA Cup semi-final and, as previously noted, competed for a spot in the top five till the very last whistle.

Villa are well-placed to replicate the same successes in all competitions this season.

They currently sit level on points with Lyon and Midtjylland in the Europa League table but part of the reason they were able to make a push in the second half of last season was the timely arrivals of Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, Axel Disasi and Donyell Malen in the January transfer window.

Funds were limited for Villa in the summer but Emery has refused to rule out potential reinforcements. "Of course, we are open to doing it and the club is working for it," he said.

"But last year was really fantastic. How we did with Malen, Rashford, Asensio and Disasi. Those four players joined us and helped us a lot.

"This year, we must be ready and we must care about how we can improve the squad and do it in case we need to."

While Emery will not allow himself to talk openly about titles and transfers, the atmosphere at Bodymoor Heath points toward a club rediscovering a sense of possibility.

Calm, focused and quietly ambitious. This Villa team are enjoying the journey step-by-step, with a growing sense of belief that it could lead towards something special come the end of the season.

Watch Aston Villa vs Man Utd live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event from 3.30pm on Sunday, kick-off 4.30pm

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Unai Emery exclusive: Aston Villa aiming to use added motivation to rectify mistakes against Man Utd as title dream bubbles away