Emi Martínez is determined to avenge Aston Villa’s FA Cup defeat against Manchester United when the sides meet again in the Premier League on Saturday.
After a close game ended 1-0 at Old Trafford on Monday, focus shifted to the second part of this week’s double-header versus the Red Devils at Villa Park.
The game also marks the beginning of the second half of the league campaign for Villa, and Martínez is keen to set the tone for the rest of the season.
“It’s kind of about revenge because everyone felt so sad after the game,” he said.
“When you look at the stats, the lads put in a really good shift. I saw how much running and effort everyone put into the game, and the FA Cup meant a lot to us – we wanted to go on a really good run.
“Unfortunately, we’re out and we need to concentrate on the league now. There’s a lot to play for and we want to have a really good second half of the season.”
Martínez will be doing his best to keep a first clean sheet of 2022 against United, with head coach Steven Gerrard eyeing defensive improvements after three defeats on the bounce.
And the Argentine says the squad know what they have to do to take three points on Saturday.
He said: “When we faced them earlier this week we put in a really good performance and we’re going to go for the win at Villa Park.
“We know what we need to improve, we know what we have to do and Saturday is a massive opportunity for us to make a great start to the second half of the season.
“We’ve shown that we can play face-to-face against these teams, especially at Villa Park.
“We’re going to go for it – not just for a draw, we’re going to go for a win.”
