Aston Villa manager send a clear message to Arsenal ahead of their clash – Unai Emery could come back to hurt former club Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes…

The Aston Villa manager has issued a warning to Arsenal before their upcoming match, suggesting that Unai Emery may pose a threat to his former team’s chances of winning the Premier League title.

Aston Villa’s progress under former Arsenal manager Unai Emery has been remarkable, according to Mikel Arteta, the current Arsenal manager, in anticipation of their upcoming Premier League match.

Sunday will mark Emery’s first return to face Arsenal’s home crowd since his departure from the club, with his previous encounter in 2021 as Villarreal’s manager taking place without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arteta expressed his admiration for the impact Emery has had on the club’s performance since his arrival, highlighting their continued presence in European competitions and recent matches.

Villa secured a seventh-place finish last season after Emery’s arrival in October 2022, marking their first top-10 finish since 2010-11. Currently, they sit in fifth place with 60 points, trailing league leaders Arsenal by 11 points.

In addition, Emery reached a significant milestone of 1,000 matches as a manager when Villa defeated Lille 2-1 in the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final. Arteta commended Emery’s achievement, emphasizing his success across various countries and footballing contexts.

“He hails from a place very near my hometown. I hold him in high regard and have immense respect for him. I extend my best wishes to him following Sunday.”

Arsenal faced a defeat against Aston Villa in October, and with Liverpool on the same points and defending champions Manchester City trailing by one, Arteta emphasized the importance of focusing on each match without getting distracted by the title race.

“Every game will shape our future,” he emphasized. “It is crucial to solely concentrate on one game and one day at a time. This approach helps maintain focus and enables us to tackle the tasks at hand.”

Aston Villa manager, Unai Emery, is set to welcome back Matt Cash and Clement Lenglet for the upcoming clash against Arsenal.

Cash had been sidelined due to a hamstring injury sustained during the March international break, while Lenglet missed the last two matches due to a minor issue.

However, both players participated in Friday’s training session and could potentially feature at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Emery, who previously managed the Gunners from 2018 to 2019, provided an update on the team’s training and player availability. “We will have a training session tomorrow and today we had some players recover. Lenglet and Cash trained with the group today.”

“We will continue working tomorrow and assess how they feel. Based on that, we will make a decision regarding the players for Sunday.”

Despite a satisfying 2-1 victory over Lille in the Europa Conference League quarter-final on Thursday, Villa will be missing Douglas Luiz due to a two-match suspension. Jacob Ramsey and Boubacar Kamara will remain sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Emery, who emerged victorious against his former club in the December encounter, emphasized that past results will not impact the upcoming game.

“It’s a different context, different circumstances, and we simply have respect for them,” he stated. “The game we played at home in December is different from the match we will play on Sunday.”

“While there are many players who will be competing against each other, the context is different. They are fighting for the Premier League, and we are fighting to maintain our fifth position and challenge Tottenham.”