**Unai Emery**expressed his thoughts on the final home fixture of the campaign against Liverpool.
‘They’re still a fantastic team’
A win against the Reds can confirm **Champions League**football for Villa, who have performed excellently to compete in the **Premier League**and reach the **Europa League**final, where they play **Freiburg**later this month. It is a feat that the head coach was keen to hammer home in his presser.
“My objective here in the years we have been working together, and this year with how we have been performing, is to compete in different competitions in our best level. We have enough players, enough mentality, to play fighting in the Premier League at the level of the best teams.
“We will try to get our best position, like we are doing. In Europe, like we did two years ago, last year and this year, competing in the semi-finals, quarterfinals and final, we are not using excuses.
“The best teams in the world have consistency in different competitions, being competitive, and we are doing that. We can speak about the last matches, but when we started the season in November and December, we were also repeating the same thing: we must be consistent in 38 matches.
“In 38 matches, we are going to achieve our objective being fair. Everything we are doing makes sense at the end of the season. We can speak about the first five matches at the beginning of the season when we didn’t win, and we were worried. We can speak about now why we are not winning some matches in the last two months, but I want to speak overall about how we are after 36 matches.
“It’s a fantastic match tomorrow. I’m very motivated and excited, looking forward to the test as a team and as individuals. In Villa Park we will try to create a great atmosphere. Our supporters must be with us, and it should be a very good day.
“It was a special day when we were playing for the first time at home in a semi-final second leg. We needed them and they showed us their wishes to be with us, creating this atmosphere. Now, it’s the league, and our consistency makes sense when our supporters are helping us and supporting us.”
Villa sit level on 59 points with Liverpool, who have fourth position through superior goal difference. The reigning champions have fallen far below the standards expected after the summer spending spree that followed their successful title charge in 2025. However, they still have the quality to create problems for the hosts, and Emery took a moment to applaud the career of a departing legend.
“Everything is very important in the moment we’re in. How we are getting to the end of the season, with the target we have so close, it’s huge. We expected a huge challenge at the beginning of the season to finish the season in the top five – it’s something fantastic.
*“We are playing against a team who were favourites and contenders at the beginning: they won the Premier League last year. They were favourites to be there with Arsenal and Manchester City.*
“We are with the same points as them, and that’s something fantastic and something that we must be so proud of. Now it’s about how we can test ourselves, playing against them.
“Liverpool* has a fantastic coach, fantastic players. Maybe they’re not being consistent like they were last year, but they’re still a fantastic team, players and coach. To play tomorrow against them on day 37 in Villa Park with 59 points is something amazing.*
*“I started playing against [**Mohamed Salah**] when he was in Fiorentina in a Europa League semi-final with Sevilla. His career has always progressed since then to where he is now. He’s a fantastic player, performing amazingly for Liverpool. He’s always played against us being fantastic, always.*
“He’s a really good example as a professional and as a player how he spent his career trying to achieve things.”