Aston Villa manager Unai Emery dismissed the upcoming clash against his former side Arsenal as “just one match,” while simultaneously declaring Mikel Arteta’s squad the “clearly the favourite this year” and a “huge test” for his high-flying Villa team.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery downplayed the significance of facing his former club, Arsenal, insisting their Premier League clash is “Not really, for me, is one match special.”
Villa enters the game having won eight of their last nine matches, but Emery’s focus remains solely on his current club.
He noted that only two players, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, remain from his time in North London.
Emery offered high praise for his successor, Mikel Arteta, stating, “Arteta, he’s doing a really great job.”
He characterized Arsenal as “clearly the favourite this year,” recognizing their quality in all aspects, including “set pieces, tactically, offensively, defensively, get duels.”
The Villa manager framed the match as a “huge test” for his in-form squad.