Emery: Top Eight in Europa League a Minimum for Aston Villa
Aston Villa aim to recover from a surprising Europa League loss as manager Unai Emery insists the team must finish at least in the top eight. Ahead of their clash with Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday, Emery emphasized the importance of maintaining ambition and consistency in Europe.
Currently sitting in tenth place, Villa have collected victories over Bologna and Feyenoord before an unexpected 2-1 setback to Go Ahead Eagles. The team remains just three points from the group leaders and could rise into the top eight by winning their next game.
Remarkably, this match falls exactly three years after Emery’s first game in charge of the club. Under his management, Villa have achieved 12 wins from 14 European home games (including qualifiers), drawing once and losing once. They have also maintained a perfect record at home in 2025, winning all four European matches—three in the Champions League and one in the Europa League against Bologna.
“The only idea is to be the first in the table, but with our experience three years ago in the Conference League and last year in the Champions League and how we were managing in different moments – the process. Our objective is to win every match, but we lost one.”
Emery added that reaching the knockout rounds directly, without needing play-offs as they did last season, remains a clear target for the squad.
Author’s Summary
Emery urges Aston Villa to aim for at least a top-eight Europa League finish, stressing consistency, experience, and the drive to secure direct qualification.