Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery expects a very different match on Sunday afternoon from the previous two meetings with Manchester United this season.
United were the first team Villa faced after appointing Emery to replace Steven Gerrard in late October. With the new manager bounce, the hosts won the reverse fixture 3-1 at Villa Park. Four days later, the two teams faced each other again in the Carabao Cup third round, when Erik ten Hag and company exacted their revenge by twice coming from behind to win 4-2 at Old Trafford.
With five-and-a-half months now separating the latter of those matches and this return to Manchester for Villa, Emery is expecting another good challenge as the team continues their pursuit of European football for next season.
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"Very good, very good players," Emery replied when asked about United at a pre-match press conference, as relayed by Birmingham Live. "They are in the top four. United are usually there. They won the Carabao Cup, a trophy, and they will play in the final with the FA Cup. It’s a very good season for them.
"For us, it’s a good challenge. It’s a very different match compared to when I arrived here. Very different from the Carabao Cup when we lost there 4-2. It’ll be very difficult. We can face them and be very demanding. If we are doing it, we can have chances to take it.
Emery also admitted to watching and enjoying several United matches as a supporter rather than for analysis reasons lately. "They played against Sevilla. Played very well at home. But when you’re playing knock-out matches it is difficult," the Villa boss added.
"I watched the semi-final against Brighton, a good match. It was an amazing match yesterday vs Spurs. Both teams were offensive. In the end, it was a draw. More than analysing matches, I enjoyed it more as a supporter."
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