Unai Emery admits tough job picking best Aston Villa starting XI after Europa League final celebrations as coach prepares for final showdown with Pep Guardiola

Villa secured their return to Europe’s elite competition by beating Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final to spark wild celebrations across Birmingham. However, with one final Premier League fixture remaining, Emery is acutely aware that the job is not yet finished. The head coach has observed a shift in the squad's focus following the high of confirming their top-four status, which has complicated his planning for the trip to the Etihad Stadium.

Emery noted that the emotional release of achieving their primary objective has made it difficult to maintain the same level of intensity in training. The coach acknowledged the importance of the achievement but remains wary of how the festivities might impact performance. He is tasked with identifying which players are still mentally and physically prepared to compete at the highest level after such an exhausting and successful campaign.

“I will try to be serious. I will try to get the best starting 11 players and be focused on respecting the competition, but it’s not easy. Sorry, but it’s not easy!” Emery admitted.

Villa will finish the season with a trip to Manchester for what will be Pep Guardiola's final game in charge of the Premier League champions, bowing out after 10 years in England.

Despite the celebratory atmosphere surrounding his team, Emery is determined to make it a difficult goodbye for his former foe. 

“It’s a fantastic match for us to play, being fourth in the league, maybe we can finish fifth – it depends as well, our match and Liverpool’s match, but it’s in our hands, and something fantastic,” he said. “And on Sunday, Manchester City, they lost the league, but congratulations for Arsenal. Of course, a fantastic season Guardiola did, achieving the FA Cup, and not in Champions League and not in the league, but of course, the league is very difficult. 

“It’s very, very difficult to beat or to win this title in Premier League and to beat the opponent, they are as well, contenders and favourites, and Arsenal and Manchester City, they are, both teams, amazing seasons they are doing in the league, and of course, Arsenal, they are playing the (Champions League) final.”

Sunday's game will be the 19th between Emery and Guardiola across the latter's spells at Barcelona and City. Emery failed to steer his side to three points in any of the first 13 games, eventually tasting victory with Villa in 2023. Since then Villa have beaten them two more times. That shared history has resulted in a special bond between the managers, with Emery expressing his great respect for his City counterpart.

“I’s my pleasure to play against Guardiola. It’s my pleasure, it’s my honour to face him. I started facing him in 2008/09, he started training in Barcelona and I was starting in Valencia," he said.

“And four years in a row, we were competing, Barcelona, Valencia, (it) was his best moment in Barcelona. Amazing how they were playing, his impact was crazy good, and we were always finishing third.

“And I didn’t beat him. Valencia didn’t beat Barcelona, Unai Emery didn’t beat Guardiola, and they were asking me in the press conference, ‘you can’t beat Guardiola’.

“And I was answering, ‘if I am keeping for a long time, my position here, to face him is really being fantastic’. And now, on Sunday, I’m going to play against him.

“It’s my honour, my pleasure, because he’s the best coach in the world. Clearly, he’s a huge inspiration for other coaches. The only genius is him, and as a competitive, he’s always, every day, because I can identify and I can understand more, watching how he’s managing his team through the chapters in different medias on Amazon or YouTube or everything."

He added: "I beat him here after a long time, I beat him here with Aston Villa, Manchester City, and always how he showed me massive respect is something I appreciate a lot.

“For me, he’s the best coach, but as well as a person, he’s fantastic. I respect him because I think he’s humble. He’s always so respectful with me, and I can watch as well with other coaches, and in football, and even in the life."

Villa have sealed their return to Europe's elite competition after a year out, having impressively reached the quarter-finals in the 2024-25 campaign. Achieving this through both their league position and European silverware is a testament to the squad's growth and ability to remain focused on both fronts.

“We were showing our desires and our wishes to be protagonists in this competition. But the priority always was the Premier League, and we were competing in both competitions - as a priority, Premier League, but as well, clearly in Europa League, preparing each game seriously, and competing like we did,” Emery explained. “Today, we are through two competitions, because always, we set it as an objective to get Champions League positions through the Premier League or through the Europa League, and we achieved it in both competitions, and really fantastic, because the players as well, they followed us, this message strongly in the dressing room.”