Unai Emery is not satisfied with Aston Villa's performance levels despite their impressive start to the Premier League season, demanding a step up when they go to Ipswich Town.
Villa have won four of their five Premier League games this season to sit third in the table, just one point adrift of pacesetters Manchester City.
Emery's team fought back to beat Midlands rivals Wolves 3-1 last week before overcoming Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup in midweek, while they also started their Champions League campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win at Young Boys.
Despite seeing his team win three straight Premier League games ahead of their trip to Portman Road, Emery wants more.
"Ipswich will be different but difficult, like the match before. We are trying to build a team. We have to try to get stronger tactically with our players," Emery said.
"We want to increase our levels individually and collectively through them and the process has been positive because we are getting points in this way.
"But of course, we have to improve a lot of things. The match we played against Wolverhampton was very good to analyse deeply how we were playing.
"We are winning but we are needing to change something to improve because maybe, in our matches, it is not enough to get to the other side like we are."
Ipswich, meanwhile, are one of six teams yet to register a Premier League victory this season, though they did deny fellow promoted club Southampton last time out, Sam Morsy netting a stunning 95th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw.
Boss Kieran McKenna has hailed his captain's tendency to pop up with crucial goals, though he feels the Egyptian needs to work on his celebration.
"It was one of the shortest knee-slides I've seen so I think there's a bit of work to do on the technique of the slide!" McKenna said.
"He's scored a few big goals for us to be fair and he's always come up with a slightly different celebration so maybe he isn't a regular enough scorer to have a stock one.
"If he can keep popping up with big goals, he can do whatever he wants!"
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ipswich Town – Arijanet Muric
Although he only has one Premier League clean sheet in 14 games for Burnley and Ipswich, according to Opta's expected goals on target (xGoT) model, Muric has prevented 9.4 goals in the competition (21 goals conceded from an xGoT of 30.4).
That is the best prevention rate of any goalkeeper in the Premier League since he made his debut on March 16. He may have a busy game ahead of him this weekend.
Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins
Since Emery's first Aston Villa game in November 2022, only Erling Haaland (66) and Mohamed Salah (59) have been involved in more Premier League goals than Watkins (53 – 35 goals, 18 assists).
Watkins has five goal contributions (three goals, two assists) to his name in all competitions this season and could get some joy against an Ipswich defence that has given up 11.09 expected goals against (xGA) this season – the sixth-worst figure in Europe's top five leagues.
MATCH PREDICTION – ASTON VILLA WIN
Ipswich have only won one of their 10 previous Premier League games against Villa (two draws, seven defeats), triumphing 1-0 at Villa Park back in March 1994.
The Tractor Boys are winless through their first five games of the campaign, drawing three and losing two. They last had a longer winless run at the start of a top-flight season in 1982-83, failing to win any of their first six but ultimately finishing in the top half.
Ipswich have actually drawn their last three league matches, last drawing more successive games as a Championship club between February and March 2017. They last had a longer run of draws as a top-flight side in 1992 (five between August and September).
Villa come in as favourites, as they look to win their first three away games in a Premier League season for just the second time, previously doing so in 2020-21.
Emery has won nine of 10 league games against newly promoted clubs as Villa boss, including all four to take place on the road. Overall, he has a win percentage of 78% (14 wins, two draws, two defeats) in 18 meetings with Premier League new boys.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Ipswich Town – 26.2%
Aston Villa – 49%
Draw – 24.8%
Saint Lucia, Haiti stay perfect in Groups B and C of League B
Saint Lucia and Haiti consolidated their leads atop their respective Concacaf Nations League groups following contrasting wins in their League B encounters on Friday.
Caniggia Elva’s late brace in the 76th and 90th propelled St Lucia to a 2-1 win over Saint Martin, who led for most of the contest courtesy of Axel Raga’s 30th-minute strike in their Group B clash at the Darren Sammy Ground.
The win moved Saint Lucia to maximum nine points from three games. Curacao and Grenada, who played out a goalless stalemate in the other group contest, sit second and third on four points each, while Saint Martin is still yet to get on the board.
Over in Group C, Haiti beat host Aruba 3-1 at Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadion.
Tyron Perret Gentil fired Aruba in front in the sixth minute, but Haiti responded through Frantzdy Pierrot (31st), and a brace from Duckens Nazon, who scored from the penalty spot in the 38th, followed by a 61st-minute close range effort.
The win saw Haiti move up to nine points from three games, three points ahead of Sint Maarten, who clipped Puerto Rico 3-2 in the other fixture.
Chovanie Amatkarijo (44th, 85th) and Imar Kort (49th) got the job done for Sint Maarten, while Rodolfo Sulia (2nd) and Alec Diaz (90+5) got Puerto Rico’s goals.
Puerto Rico remain on three points, with Aruba still pointless.
Saka and Jones withdraw from England's Nations League squad
England have confirmed that Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and Liverpool's Curtis Jones have withdrawn from the squad ahead of their Nations League clash with Finland on Sunday.
Saka was replaced by Noni Madueke in the 51st minute during England's shock 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley on Thursday after picking up an injury in his right leg.
It only adds to Mikel Arteta's injury worries ahead of facing Bournemouth next Saturday after Martin Odegaard was injured on international duty for Norway last month.
Saka has enjoyed a fine start to the Premier League campaign, scoring two goals and laying on a further seven assists in the Gunners' opening seven games.
The England international has also created more chances (27) than any other player in the division, with his nine goal involvements a total only bettered by Chelsea's Cole Palmer (11) and Manchester City's Erling Haaland (10).
Lee Carsley will also be without uncapped Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, who was added to the Three Lions squad earlier this week, but has since withdrawn due to a personal commitment.
Jones earned his first call-up in May as part of Gareth Southgate's provisional 33-man squad for Euro 2024, but did not make the final cut.
The 23-year-old was part of the Young Lions side that won the 2023 European Under-21 Championship under Carsley, scoring the only goal in their 1-0 win over Spain in the final.
Former Liverpool defender Matip confirms retirement
Former Liverpool defender Joel Matip has confirmed his retirement from professional football.
Matip, who joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2016, has been without a club since leaving Anfield at the end of last season and has since decided to call time on his 15-year career.
The 33-year-old started his career at Schalke, making 258 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit and helping them lift the DFB-Pokal and German Super Cup in 2011.
Matip was among the first signings made by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, joining in the same window as Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum and Loris Karius.
He helped the Reds return to the Champions League in Klopp's first full campaign in charge, making 29 Premier League appearances and keeping nine clean sheets.
However, his spell with the Reds was marred by repetitive injuries, sustaining 16 different issues across his eight-year spell on Merseyside.
The former Cameroon international's final appearance for Liverpool came in a 4-3 win over Fulham in December 2023 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the same game.
Matip made 201 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and winning six major honours, which included the Reds' sixth Champions League triumph.
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