By admin 
Unai Emery has challenged his Aston Villa players to raise their standards even higher ahead of the final two months of the season.
Villa’s season will potentially be defined by its final few months as they challenge for Europe in the Premier League, as well as the FA Cup and Champions League.
Emery’s are currently ninth, two points behind fourth-placed Manchester City in the top-four race, while they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final and Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final in an action-packed April.
With their cup and European exploits taking centre-stage in recent weeks, they face top-four rivals Brighton on Wednesday in what is their first Premier League game in 24 days.
Ahead of the trip to the Amex, Emery said: “We are excited and demanding ourselves to be focused for the last two months in three competitions. We’re motivated to get our best performances collectively and try to reduce a lot of goals that we conceded.
“In the last matches, we are getting better. Tomorrow is a very good test again for how we can be more consistent, playing at the level we want to achieve and in the level we are getting at the end of the season to play in the Premier League and achieve top seven, top six or top five.
“There are a lot of teams there fighting for these positions. In the FA Cup we’re playing a semi-final and in the Champions League a quarter-final.
“It’s amazing how we are approaching the last part of the season. But we are aware how difficult it is going to be and how much we have to get better.”
Unai: “Everybody is ready, everybody is focused. Now is 100% football.”
The Boss’ full press conference for #BHAAVL is now on VillaTV 📺
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 1, 2025
Emery on top-four race
Having defied the odds to reach the top four last season, Villa have been slightly more inconsistent this term, though they are still among a number of sides well in the race to reach the Champions League again.
On the top-four race, Villa’s manager added: “Thirty-eight matches is when you are finishing and the table is fair for everybody. We are in the last part of the season and every point we achieved and lost before, now is the moment we have to identify how we are, focus on every match and the reality that Brighton have two points [more than us] in a European position.
“To get Conference League, Europa League or Champions League is the consequences of how we are doing in the season. Brighton are there now and tomorrow is three points for them, three points for us or one point for each team.
“We’re going to try and prepare to face the match, thinking to achieve the three points. We’re respecting them and being very demanding with how we can achieve it.”
Villa team news: Bailey out, Barkley back in training
Leon Bailey and Ross Barkley are the only doubts for the Villans ahead of the trip to the South Coast, with Amadou Onana, Pau Torres and
“Leon Bailey, still, with a hard kick, and I think he is not going to train this afternoon, and for tomorrow, difficult to play the match.
“We are having our training session this afternoon, trying to take time after the last match [FA Cup quarter-final against Preston] we played on Sunday.
“At the beginning, [Ross] Barkley, he was training with the group yesterday.
“Other players, progressively, they were coming back and hopefully – after the match we played and the training we will do this afternoon – will be available, everybody.”