Unai Emery fires warning to under-fire Erik ten Hag and Man Utd after masterminding Champions League triumph over Harry Kane's Bayern Munich

The result against the Bavarians was a testament to Villa's character, as many doubted whether Emery's men had it in them to compete with the elites of European football. After staging a massive UCL upset, their eyes are now set on achieving a top-four Premier League finish once again, which would guarantee them top-tier continental football for another season.

In contrast, United are heading into the match at Villa Park with a different set of concerns. Following a 3-0 loss to Tottenham and a last-ditch 3-3 draw against Porto in the Europa League, Ten Hag finds himself under mounting pressure to turn things around. The Dutch manager is believed to be on borrowed time at Old Trafford and another defeat will certainly increase scrutiny on his position.

During the pre-match press conference, Emery expressed his respect for United and their manager Erik Ten Hag but made it clear that he is preparing meticulously for the game.

“I have a lot of respect for him. We won the first match when I arrived here and it was fantastic, but after it we’ve lost four matches against them at home and away," said Emery.

“They are a winning team, they have an experienced coach and experienced players. The club is usually a winning club and they still being winners – they won the FA Cup last year against Manchester City.

“They are not getting consistently good results in the Premier League, but playing only one match, they can exploit their capacity and skill with a huge performance."

Emery downplayed their chances against United and even insisted that they are not favourites to finish the campaign with a European spot but stressed that they would give their all to be considered as worthy "contenders".

"We are not favourites to be in the top seven, we are not favourites in the Premier League. We want to be contenders in the process we are, getting points. I respect them and I will prepare the match more than how I prepared the match against Bayern Munich," he said.

"We are playing on Sunday against Manchester United and I think it’s a huge match for us after we played Bayern Munich because through the Premier League, we are playing against the best teams in the world.

"Manchester United aren’t in the Champions League now they are playing in the Europa League, but they are a team with quality players and coach, like teams we are facing in the Champions League. On Sunday, we will need the same atmosphere with the supporters in Villa Park as we had on Wednesday. I have no doubt they are going to help and support us on Sunday, transmitting their energy and pushing us to get three points."

United have had good fortune against Villa recently, winning a thrilling 3-2 encounter at Old Trafford last season and scraping to a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture, courtesy of a late Scott McTominay winner. This history could offer some encouragement for United fans, but with Villa's current form, the upcoming clash feels like anything but a straightforward contest.