The director of Aston Villa Unai Emery says his side should be ready to face the “best team in the Premier League and Europe” when Liverpool leaders come to Villa Park on Wednesday night.
Villa fell six points behind the top four, after getting home to Ipswich over the weekend, with Emery saying that the return to the Champions League remains the goal.
The new signatures of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio could both present, while Emery is struggling with injury problems in defense.
He said: “For me as a Liverpool coach is a great challenge, a challenge on how we can collectively put our play plan against them. It is the most difficult match we are going to play in recent weeks and months.
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“Liverpool are the best team in the Premier League and Europe. Our challenge is how we deal with them and respond with our properties and how we play at this level.
“We are excited and hopefully we can share our excited moments with our fans at Villa Park.”
Villa only won one of the last 14 Premier League games against Liverpool, though a 7-2 victory at Villa Park in October 2020.
A repetition – or three points, anyway – would put a villa back in the mixture for a European part in a race that seems likely to go back to the cable.
“We are positive, but we are excited and playing in the right direction,” Emery said.
“We need more points if we want to achieve the greatest demand and goal we can have, we are going to be in the Champions League.”
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The average/defensive Boubacar Kamara is out after coming out against Ipswich early, while Villa could include Leon Bailey and defenders Ezri Konsa and Matty Cash in the team.
Emery to Kamara: “He was ready to play with a problem on his back, but the injury does not come from his back. It is his hamstring. He tries to analyze and meet a lot with doctors and Physios and how we can improve. Just why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, It’s hard. “
On the return of Tyrone Mings from injury: “Mings is a very important player, his return was very good and he has very well. He had a little stop in his recovery, but he played on Saturday and tomorrow we will need him available. He is a very important player because he is one of the captains and a leader in the defense. “
