Aston Villa boss Unai Emery: Crystal Palace are my bogey team - but this is no revenge mission
Villa boss Unai Emery has denied Wednesday’s trip to Crystal Palace is a revenge mission - despite admitting they are his bogey team.
Palace have proven a thorn in Emery’s side throughout his time in English football, with the Spaniard winning just two out of 11 matches against the south London club.
Emery never beat the Eagles in three meetings when in charge of Arsenal, suffering a 3-2 home defeat in April 2019 which ultimately cost the Gunners a place in the Champions League.
The bad run has continued since he joined Villa, with Palace winning five of the last six matches including last April’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Yet Emery claims the poor record is not a source of extra motivation.
He said: “My motivation is those three points. Not just Crystal Palace. Every team for me is the same. It is three points, home or away.
“Of course, our matches against them were poor but it is not my sporting revenge.
