Unai Emery expressed his pride in Aston Villa’s approach to European football.

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – MARCH 14: Unai Emery, the head coach/manager of Aston Villa, expressed his satisfaction with the club’s approach to their UEFA Europa Conference League campaign after helping them return to European football for the first time in 14 years.

The Villains are set to face Olympiacos in their first major European final since 1982, just days after securing a spot in the UEFA Europa League next season with a draw against Chelsea. The first leg will take place at Villa Park before the team travels to Greece next week, with a place in the Conference League final at stake. Aston Villa is also currently leading the race for the final UEFA Champions League spot in the Premier League.

When asked about the club’s first European campaign since the 2010/11 season, Emery expressed his complete satisfaction with how his squad has adapted. He credited their strong performances at home for their progress to the semi-finals.

Emery stated, “When we started this competition in the summer, in August at Hibernian, the first impact was the best one because we won and we were very focused trying to make the Conference League a challenge for the entire season. Now we are in the semi-final. The players have always respected the competition and the opponents, even though we are playing against teams of a lower level than ours and in leagues that are maybe less competitive than the Premier League. But competing in Europe is always difficult, regardless of the opposition. Playing away in Europe is always tough. However, we have felt confident at home, and our success in this competition is because we feel very strong at Villa Park.”

Aston Villa has not lost in all six home games in the Conference League this season, including a convincing 4-0 victory against European giants Ajax in the last 16. Emery expressed his pride in the team’s performances in Europe, particularly as some players have no prior experience in the competition.

“To gain experience in Europe with Aston Villa, with some players who have experience and some who don’t, is really exciting, and I am so proud of our progress here and our competitiveness. We are aiming to reach the end in the semi-finals and then the final, gaining more experience and increasing our chances of winning a trophy.”

Regardless of the outcome, Aston Villa will compete in Europe again next year, whether it be in the Europa League or a surprising appearance in the Champions League. Emery emphasized that it is a very exciting moment for the supporters, as the club is competing on all fronts.

“I have been very proud of our focus in each match,” said Emery. “Our focus for this competition and, of course, we have always talked about our first priority, which is to be consistent in the Premier League. I want us to play a lot of matches because that means we are being successful in different competitions. Now we are really looking forward to challenging Tottenham for fourth place in the Premier League and facing Olympiacos in the Conference League semi-finals after going through the groups, Lille, and Ajax.”

“For our supporters, it’s a very exciting moment.”