Aston Villa boss Unai Emery may not believe his side are Premier League title contenders but he is “dreaming” of Europa League glory after reaching the last 16.
Villa defeated Fenerbahce 1-0 in Türkiye to secure the league’s quarterfinals with one game remaining.
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The Spaniard warned Villa “are not top-five contenders” after their 1-0 home defeat to Everton on Sunday.
If Villa finish in the top four of the Premier League, or top five if England gain an extra qualifying spot, their only hope of Champions League football next season will be to win the Europa League.
Former Sevilla, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain boss Emery, who has won a record four Europa League titles as a manager, last with Villarreal in 2021, took charge of his 100th game in the Europa League on Thursday.
“We have a clear goal in this game to be trophy contenders,” he told the media after his team’s victory in Istanbul.
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“[We want] To be a contender in case we need this trophy to play in the Champions League. through our league [it] Very difficult,” he added.
“I dream of winning trophies here and the Europa Cup is one of our goals this year.”
Although Villa is the seventh most successful club in English football, its last major trophy was the 1996 League Cup.
It’s nice to have a manager who supports you – Jadon Sancho
Aston Villa are in excellent form at the moment.
They have won 20 of their last 25 games (D1, D4), with only Arsenal (21) winning more in Europe’s top five leagues during this period.
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Their poor performance against Everton on Sunday means they miss the chance to move into second place, just four points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, Emery’s old club.
He made six substitutions against Fenerbahce as his side dominated, stunning the 28-time Turkish champions with a 1-0 scoreline.
Emery praised his players for “respecting” the game after the game, adding that he was “very, very happy” with their reaction.
Villa’s match-winner Jadon Sancho scored his first goal for the club in his 19th game since joining on loan from Manchester United in September.
“It’s great to have a manager who supports you and believes in you,” said the 25-year-old striker, who has not played for United since August 2024 and is out of contract this summer.
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“he [Emery] Just keeps telling me to be positive every time I play. Every opportunity I get I try to give 100% and hopefully I can achieve my goal. “
Sancho has started just two Premier League games this season but has been in Villa’s starting XI for the past five games in the Europa League.
Villa have played 12 games since the start of December and avoided the two-leg play-offs in February by securing a top-eight finish in the league stage.
On Thursday, Emery still played the full 90 minutes with forward Ollie Watkins and 74 minutes with star midfielder Morgan Rogers.
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He also gave Tyrone Mings his first start since November after he returned from a thigh injury.
Amadou Onana, who has been sidelined with a hamstring problem, also came on as a late substitute and is another key player to return.
“[We are] Building the team in certain situations doesn’t help us,” Emery told TNT Sports.
“But next week we can complete the transfer window and hopefully we can get everything we need to complete the squad and games over the next few months.”
