Unai Emery talks about expectation and the importance of Champions League football to Aston Villa

Villa host their rivals in the race for a top-five finish eager to bounce back from what Emery described as their “huge defeat” at Wolves last Friday.

A run of just one win in five Premier League matches has seen Villa fall out of the top-three for the first time since December but they can take a big step toward securing a place in next year’s Champions League with a victory.

Emery made a plea for unity in the aftermath of the Molineux defeat but on Tuesday acknowledged it is primarily the responsibility of the team to bring energy to the stands.

And he admitted players must become accustomed to performing when the stakes are at their highest.

“This is something we must be comfortable about,” said Emery. ‘It’s not easy, to play a lot of matches and have players in the national team.

“We are having 55 matches per season. I love to play football matches in this way but it’s more difficult. 

“After Wolverhampton, it was a huge defeat and I needed to analyse it. Understanding it is so difficult.

“Wolves are at the bottom, but we knew they would get points.

“Then it’s about how we are increasing everything and raising our expectations but I like it.

“For us, it’s not pressure. It’s about setting our demands high and being there, with consistency. We want to be at this level for a long time.”

Villa were 11 points clear of the visitors in early January but have seen their advantage eroded.

Emery conceded his team are in a “bad moment” but is confident they can recover the form which saw them touted as potential title contenders earlier in the campaign.

The manager also suggested qualifying for the Champions League is more important, in financial terms, to their rivals in the race.

Villa have seen their spending power severely restricted after missing out on this season’s competition on goal difference.

“Of course, the Champions League is very important for revenue,” said Emery. “This is my responsibility too - in the Champions League, the revenue is better. The prestige is better.

"The objective getting higher through Champions League is better. And for the other teams, they have higher revenues and it is necessary for them to play Champions League.

"For us, it is more necessary to reduce the distance between those teams. To improve, to get better and be consistent.

"The club is making a huge effort to increase revenues. They are working to extend our capacity at Villa Park. We are all helping to get better. at everything. But there is still time to do."

John McGinn is nearing a return from a knee injury but will miss Wednesday’s game.

Asked about the impact of the captain’s absence, Emery said: “We need other leaders. We need change to singing about ‘Super Aston Villa’.

“We need our supporters. We need Villa Park. Tomorrow there is no ‘Super John McGinn’, but there is ‘Super Aston Villa’.”