A year ago
With a win, Villa will clinch seventh place in the Premier League.
Aston Villa's final hurdle to rejoining Europe will be their most difficult, according to manager Unai Emery.
On Sunday, Villa will play host to Brighton with the goal of completing a comeback in Europe for the first time since the 2010–11 season.
The Europa Conference League play-off position and seventh place in the Premier League would be secured, but Emery is aware that it would be a difficult challenge.
"We need to have high ambitions, and I do. I'm here to challenge everyone and expect that they play better so that we can compete for positions in Europe, he added.
"We must take each step with strength and passion for how to do it. We are as we are. We are making excellent progress.
"I'm very, very pleased with the players' dedication, character, and how well they're responding. Additionally, we are interacting with our fans.
"We have reached the beginning. We shall be overjoyed if we succeed in our goal on Sunday.
"It's the next stage since we started by climbing out of the bottom 10 spots (of the standings), and now our goal is to be in the European positions.
"Getting there is the hardest part, but we know what we're trying to do. And if we don't, it doesn't mean that our intention to get better has changed.
With Wednesday's 1-1 draw against Manchester City, Brighton secured sixth place and already secured their spot in the Europa League.
Since taking over for Graham Potter in September, boss Roberto De Zerbi has impressed, and Emery is a fan.
Football is evolving so quickly, he added. I've been a coach and manager for 19 years. I'm 51 years old, and I first started coaching when I was 32.
"I am constantly thinking about how I can get better each day so that tomorrow will be better than today.
It's not just about my analysis, experiences, or job; I also attempt to observe other coaches. Robert De Zerbi is one of them.
"I prefer instructors that can demonstrate new offensive, defensive, and tactical concepts to us. Because it moves so quickly, you need to be in the fast train when playing football.
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