Unai Emery met with the media at Bodymoor Heath on Friday afternoon, to look ahead to Aston Villa's Premier League clash with Fulham at Villa Park on Saturday.
The Villans host the Cottagers in a lunchtime affair in B6, looking to make a winning return to league matters as they shift their sole focus to securing Champions League qualification for 2025/26.
Emery spoke with the local and national press at Villa's training base to preview the game, discussing Saturday's visitors, his side's approach and more.
Read the key lines from Friday's pre-match media briefing below...
On the remaining games...
“2nd May today, and we are very, very excited. Our motivation is so, so high, motivation to finish the season, really feeling it’s our moment to play, showing as well our capacity through the most important way to get our objective, Premier League.
“And, of course, Villa Park is very, very important. We will need tomorrow our supporters, our fans to be with us.
“Of course, we were during the way this year enjoying different competitions – Champions League, FA Cup – but the Premier League is the consistent way to achieve our objective.
“We have to be together tomorrow. We have to get our best energy through our supporters, transmitting, as well, our energy and trying to play consistently like we are playing in Villa Park. Tomorrow, we will need them.”
On Ollie Watkins...
“He is a fantastic guy and really as a player we can watch how his commitment is with Aston Villa, with myself, with the teammates, and the coaches we have.
“Only I want of him, his best, as a professional. I appreciate him as a person, I appreciate him, and I am so grateful to work with him.
“But our work is to try show every match we are playing, our capacity, our commitment, our wishes, our strong mentality.
“The mentality is a test in every match, how we are facing tomorrow, Fulham, how we are tomorrow, preparing the game and focusing 90 minutes strongly.”
On a must-win game...?
“Every match is important to win, the day one, the day 30, and the day 35 tomorrow.
“Be consistent, trying to get our best, is the challenge we have, and tomorrow how we can respect them, how we can adapt of them, how we can impose, dominate our gameplan through our positioning, through player skills and our wishes.
“Still four matches to play. Tomorrow, we will play (for) three points, and our moment now in Premier League is the objective we were dreaming two years ago, we were setting as an objective this year, but always being ambitious to be in Europe.
“How we are sharing our season with our supporters, with our fans, in everything, is really amazing how we are doing.
“Tomorrow, we have to get there smiling, focused, and together.”
On the players' desire...
“Two years ago, we finished the season so, so strong, and really if we were playing more matches after we finished against Brighton at home, winning and getting Conference League, we were ready to play more matches and we didn’t want holidays in that moment.
“Last year we finished so, so tired. We got the objective playing in Champions League and the last match we played against Crystal Palace, we were thinking more on holidays than the match we played.
“This year, we are so, so motivated and excited to play. I want to train, I want to prepare the game, I want to be with the players tonight in the hotel. I want to wake up tomorrow with the players preparing the game. I want to play 90 minutes, I want to be excited and motivated with our supporters in Villa Park and I want to play the next match as well, after tomorrow’s match.”
On Fulham and Marco Silva...
“Premier League, historic club, Fulham. Very good coach, very competitive coach – in the Premier League, a successful coach.
“Very good players, very organised team, very competitive team with the numbers they have, and my respect is massive.
“Then, how we are competing as well, trying to be consistent tomorrow, but we have to respect them and adapt of them being competitive like we are.
“I know their numbers, their objectives to be in Europe. When I arrived here two years ago, they were as well competing with us. Last year they were competing to be in Europe, this year they are competing to be in Europe. It’s not a surprise they are.
“They are a team (who) can get the same way they are doing this year like Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Brighton, Bournemouth.
“They are teams, they can be with us, of course, and with the teams, contenders to be in the top six.
“Fulham is a team, really competitive, and with a clear identity with Marco Silva.”
Watch Unai's full press conference below.
