Unai Emery fires warning as Aston Villa prepare for Istanbul reunion with former stars
Unai Emery has warned Jhon Duran and Marco Asensio aren’t the only players Villa will need to fear at Fenerbahce on Thursday night.
Villa face a reunion in Turkey with Duran and Asensio, who both starred for them last season.
Duran scored 12 goals before moving to Al-Nassr last January for a fee which could eventually exceed £70million.
Asensio arrived just a few days after his departure and scored eight goals while on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
Both joined Fenerbahce in the summer, with Villa unable to secure a deal to sign Asensio permanently within their financial restrictions.
Speaking in Istanbul on Wednesday evening, Emery described the pair as “fantastic” players but warned: “Every player for Fenerbahce is dangerous.
“Of course, we know them, and they are fantastic players.
“Asensio with his career being amazing, and a lot of experiences, and of course, with us, he performed very well last year.
“And this is one example. Fenerbahçe, they can have players like that.
“And Jhon Durán, we saw him last year performing very well with us, to Saudi, and then Fenerbahçe signed him.
“And of course, it’s their capacity, economically and in a sporting way for the player to come here, and they have it.
“And of course, tomorrow we will play against them and we respect them a lot, and of course, to stop them is not easy.”
Villa are braced for the most arduous few days of their season, with the 3,200-mile round-trip to Turkey followed immediately by an away Premier League fixture at Newcastle on Sunday.
Emery has at least been boosted by the return to fitness of Amadou Onana, who trained alongside his team-mates at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium.
Ross Barkley, however, remains out and Emery is yet to learn the full extent of John McGinn’s knee injury with the captain still being assessed by doctors.
Villa’s boss, who has already seen Boubacar Kamara sustain a likely season-ending injury, this month, confirmed McGinn could be missing for “some weeks” depending on the prognosis.
Victory on Thursday night would guarantee Villa a top-eight finish in the group stage and strengthen their chances of topping the table, which would guarantee they play the second leg of every knockout round tie at home.
Yet Emery, a four-time Europa League winner who will take charge of his 100th match in the competition, is under illusions as to the challenge facing his side.
“Of course, it’s a very difficult match," he said. "They have a very good team, historic team, experienced team.
“They have very good players, a fantastic atmosphere here with their supporters, very passionate supporters. We respect them a lot.
“They are clearly candidates to be there at the end of this competition.
“Of course, tomorrow, they have 11 points, for them it’s very important, the match.
“Of course, for us, we are in the advantage to get top eight, but in case they will win tomorrow, against us, they can have as well, possibilities to be in (the) top eight.”
