Emery Warns Villa Facing Man United Is Like Playing Barcelona

Villa Face Tough Test at Old Trafford

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery believes facing Manchester United on Sunday will be as hard as playing Barcelona. Villa travel to Old Trafford looking to keep their unbeaten run of five matches going.

Despite United struggling for form under Michael Carrick, Emery expects a very demanding match. Carrick has picked up just one league win all season. However, the Villa boss insists this fixture remains one of the hardest challenges around.

Poor Record at Old Trafford

Villa enter the contest after a 3-0 defeat to LaLiga champions Barcelona in the Champions League. Emery stated his team played as planned in Spain, but the level was the highest possible for top competitions. He believes United are on that same level.

Emery has never won at Old Trafford during his entire managerial career. Villa have also lost each of their last six matches at the ground in all competitions. The club has not won a single match there for four years.

Emery remembered a hard defeat at Old Trafford two years ago, when Villa were close to reaching the Champions League on the final matchday but lost. He said his players must bring their best individual and collective performance to compete on Sunday.

Contract Talks and Game Plan

Away from the pitch, Emery confirmed he is in talks over a new contract at Villa. However, his main attention is on preparing for Old Trafford.

Emery described United as a fantastic club that qualified for the Champions League last season. Even though they have not been consistent in the league this season, he expects them to recover their consistency soon. He stressed that Villa have a lot of work to do to get a result.