'Villa Park is our fortress' - Unai Emery urges Aston Villa to end home drought against Fenerbahce as left-back injury crisis deepens

Aston Villa manager Emery is adamant that his side must reclaim their home dominance when they face Fenerbahce on Wednesday night. Despite their rapid ascent in European football, the Villans have struggled at Villa Park this term, failing to secure a single victory in their first three home matches across all competitions. This slump comes at a time when the stadium's atmosphere is partially affected by the ongoing refurbishment of the North Stand ahead of Euro 2028.

Emery remains focused on the tactical and mental adjustments needed to turn their home form around. 'We are realistic about how we are working and improving things,' the Villa boss explained during his pre-match press conference. 'But it is not enough yet, so we are having lots of conversations with the team, in meetings and with videos, practicing too to show improvements in matches. At Villa Park, we have not won yet, so it is very important how we can improve things to be closer to winning.'

The former Arsenal and Villarreal coach is leaning on the club's recent history to inspire his squad. 'Tomorrow is a very good opportunity to do one step forward in those improvements and the players as well to get confidence and feel comfortable,' he said, as quoted by ESPN. 'Villa Park is for us something very, very special. It should be like the four years that we are here, how we achieved this as a special place, our fortress. Tomorrow is a new challenge to show it.'

The task of overcoming the Turkish giants is complicated by a mounting injury list, particularly in the defensive department. Villa are currently facing a significant crisis at left-back following the weekend's 2-2 draw with Brentford. Matteo Ruggeri was forced off at the interval during that clash and is now set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines, joining fellow full-back Ian Maatsen in the treatment room.

Emery confirmed the severity of the situation, noting that he must now look for creative tactical solutions to fill the void. 'There are negative ways for some players, because they are injured like Ruggeri,' Emery admitted. 'We must try to find solutions as Maatsen is not available. I think he should be in a few days, one week or two weeks joining us. Ruggeri, we don't know exactly how long it's going to be, but it will be some weeks that he's going to be out, more than one month.'

While the defensive situation is bleak, there is better news in midfield as Leon Goretzka nears his competitive debut for the club. However, the squad remains heavily stretched elsewhere, with Brian Madjo and Taylor Harwood-Bellis unavailable after being left out of Villa's Champions League squad list, while George Hemmings misses out through a minor ailment.

Despite these roster limitations, Emery remains positive about the progress of his squad ahead of Wednesday's clash, stating: 'Leon Goretzka is in the squad for tomorrow; George Hemmings is still being with a small pain, not available for tomorrow but maybe on Saturday he can come back.'

Villa enter the contest having secured a dramatic 3-2 away victory against Club Brugge in their Champions League opener, whereas Fenerbahce earned a 1-1 home draw against Roma. Despite their European success on the road, Emery's side have struggled to replicate that form at Villa Park this season, dropping points in all three home fixtures - suffering 1-0 and 2-1 defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest respectively, before being held to a 2-2 draw by Brentford last weekend.