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Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has acknowledged that choosing his starting line-up for the season’s final clash against Manchester City will be a tough task. After the euphoria of their Europa League triumph in Istanbul, the team now turns its attention to the Etihad Stadium for Pep Guardiola’s farewell game as City manager.

Balancing celebrations and competition

Villa earned their spot back in Europe’s top-tier competition with a commanding 3-0 win over Freiburg in the Europa League final, sparking jubilant scenes across Birmingham. Yet, with one more Premier League fixture left, Emery recognises that the mission is not complete. The coach has noticed a shift in the players’ focus after securing a top-four finish, adding complexity to his preparations for the Etihad encounter.

Emery admitted that the emotional release following their main objective has made maintaining training intensity difficult. While he appreciates the magnitude of the achievement, he remains cautious about how the celebrations could affect the team’s sharpness. His challenge now lies in assessing which players are still mentally and physically ready to perform at the highest level after a long and demanding season.

“I will try to be serious. I will try to get the best starting 11 players and be focused on respecting the competition, but it’s not easy. Sorry, but it’s not easy!” Emery confessed.

Guardiola’s farewell duel with Emery

Villa’s trip to Manchester marks the final match of Pep Guardiola’s decade-long spell as Manchester City’s manager. Despite the festive mood surrounding his own squad, Emery intends to make it a challenging send-off for his long-time opponent.

“It’s a fantastic match for us to play, being fourth in the league, maybe we can finish fifth – it depends as well, our match and Liverpool’s match, but it’s in our hands, and something fantastic,” he commented. “And on Sunday, Manchester City, they lost the league, but congratulations for Arsenal. Of course, a fantastic season Guardiola did, achieving the FA Cup, and not in Champions League and not in the league, but of course, the league is very difficult.

“It’s very, very difficult to beat or to win this title in Premier League and to beat the opponent, they are as well, contenders and favourites, and Arsenal and Manchester City, they are, both teams, amazing seasons they are doing in the league, and of course, Arsenal, they are playing the (Champions League) final.”

Emery’s admiration for his long-time rival

Sunday’s match will mark the 19th meeting between Emery and Guardiola, stretching back to the latter’s time at Barcelona. Emery went winless in their first 13 encounters but finally broke that streak with Villa in 2023, defeating Guardiola’s side and later repeating the feat twice more. Their long-standing rivalry has fostered mutual respect, with Emery openly praising the Manchester City manager.

“It’s my pleasure to play against Guardiola. It’s my pleasure, it’s my honour to face him. I started facing him in 2008/09, he started training in Barcelona and I was starting in Valencia,” Emery recalled.

“And four years in a row, we were competing, Barcelona, Valencia, (it) was his best moment in Barcelona. Amazing how they were playing, his impact was crazy good, and we were always finishing third.

“And I didn’t beat him. Valencia didn’t beat Barcelona, Unai Emery didn’t beat Guardiola, and they were asking me in the press conference, ‘you can’t beat Guardiola’.

“And I was answering, ‘if I am keeping for a long time, my position here, to face him is really being fantastic’. And now, on Sunday, I’m going to play against him.

“It’s my honour, my pleasure, because he’s the best coach in the world. Clearly, he’s a huge inspiration for other coaches. The only genius is him, and as a competitive, he’s always, every day, because I can identify and I can understand more, watching how he’s managing his team through the chapters in different medias on Amazon or YouTube or everything.”

He added: “I beat him here after a long time, I beat him here with Aston Villa, Manchester City, and always how he showed me massive respect is something I appreciate a lot.

“For me, he’s the best coach, but as well as a person, he’s fantastic. I respect him because I think he’s humble. He’s always so respectful with me, and I can watch as well with other coaches, and in football, and even in the life.”

Villa secure Champions League qualification through dual success

Villa have booked their return to the Champions League after a year’s absence, achieving it through both their Premier League finish and European triumph. Their ability to balance domestic and continental commitments stands as evidence of the squad’s growth and focus.

“We were showing our desires and our wishes to be protagonists in this competition. But the priority always was the Premier League, and we were competing in both competitions - as a priority, Premier League, but as well, clearly in Europa League, preparing each game seriously, and competing like we did,” Emery explained. “Today, we are through two competitions, because always, we set it as an objective to get Champions League positions through the Premier League or through the Europa League, and we achieved it in both competitions, and really fantastic, because the players as well, they followed us, this message strongly in the dressing room.”