Unai Emery makes life "so easy" for his players, according to the Aston Villa manager's Europa League-winning goalkeeper.

Beto played for Sevilla as they won three consecutive Europa Leagues under Emery, featuring in the first two title runs, including starring in a penalty shoot-out triumph against Benfica in the 2014 final.

And despite going on to endure slightly more testing spells in charge of Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, Emery has continued to deliver on the European stage.

He guided Villarreal to another Europa League win, before returning Villa to European football and then the Champions League. Villa beat Young Boys 3-0 in their league phase opener on Tuesday.

Emery's success comes as no surprise to former Portugal international Beto, who explained the brilliance of his old boss while speaking at the Thinking Football Summit organised by Liga Portugal.

"Unai has many things that make him different," Beto told Stats Perform. "The passion that he has for football makes him different.

"The way that he studies every detail, not only in the opponent but in his team. He knows every player. He knows how to get the best out of each player in his team.

"For us, it was amazing, he knew what was going to happen in the 45th minute of the game. This is going to happen.

"If the picture is this one, we will act this way. If the game is like in another way, we're going to act this way.

"So, he had everything planned; every scenario, every situation he had planned. And for us, the players, we had all the information, we had everything. We just had to be ourselves and put our talent at the service of the team.

"And for us, it was so easy to play being coached by Unai. He was an amazing person.

"He respects football. And I think it's one of the secrets of Unai, he respects football. He gives everything for football.

"So, not only in Sevilla, I know he had some bad moments in Arsenal, but he came back in Villarreal. He won another Europa League in Villarreal.

"He brought back Aston Villa to the top. I have too much credit for Unai because I love him, respect him and he will be forever one of my best coaches and my best friends."

Aston Villa made a fine return to Europe's elite as they began their Champions League campaign with an accomplished 3-0 victory over Swiss club Young Boys on Tuesday.

Villa, European Cup winners in 1982 and playing in UEFA's premier club competition for the first time since 1983, had to survive some early pressure but were good value for their victory once they made the breakthrough.

Youri Tielemans fired Villa in front in the 27th minute after being picked out by John McGinn's deep cross, and Unai Emery's men never looked back from there.

They doubled their advantage 11 minutes later, Mohamed Ali Camara's terrible back pass selling Young Boys goalkeeper David von Ballmoos short and allowing Jacob Ramsey to tap home.

The visitors had goals by Ollie Watkins and substitute Jhon Duran disallowed for handball either side of half-time, but Amadou Onana put the icing on the cake four minutes from time, drilling a superb effort into the bottom-left corner from 25 yards out.

The one concern for the visitors was the sight of star forward Watkins receiving treatment on his ankle following his 60th-minute withdrawal, just four days out from a Premier League derby against Midlands rivals Wolves.

Villa will face sterner Champions League tests in the coming months, with Bayern Munich visiting Villa Park on matchday two and Juventus, RB Leipzig and Monaco also lying in wait.

Data Debrief: Impressive introduction for Rogers

Tielemans, Ramsey and Onana may have scored the goals, but Villa's star of the show was Morgan Rogers, who laid on four chances for his team-mates.

Not only was that the most of any player on the pitch, ahead of Watkins and Young Boys forward Filip Ugrinic (three each), but it is also the most by any Englishman on their Champions League debut since Marc Albrighton for Leicester City in 2016 (four versus Club Brugge).

Villa became the 11th different English side to play in the Champions League since it was rebranded in 1992, but just the fourth to win their first match.

Manchester United (4-2 versus IFK Goteborg in 1994), Newcastle United (3-2 against Barcelona in 1997) and Leicester (3-0 versus Brugge in 2016) also did so. 

Unai Emery is focusing on a new mentality for his Aston Villa side as they embark on their Champions League journey against Young Boys.

Villa are making their first appearance in Europe's top competition since 1982 on Tuesday, having previously won the competition 42 years ago. 

Emery's side will become the 11th different English club to compete in the Champions League, and the first English newcomer since Leicester in 2016-17. 

But the Spaniard has made a name for himself on the European stage, having won the Europa League on four occasions with Sevilla and Villarreal. 

However, Emery's last game in the competition came back in 2022, with his Villarreal side eliminated by Liverpool in the semi-finals of the competition. 

That particular run was the Villa head coach's best run in the tournament, and he is dreaming of going one step further with the Villains. 

"I had dreams when I arrived here to play in the Champions League and be competitive in this competition," Emery told TNT Sports, in an exclusive interview.

"But we are going to set our new mentality, our new objective. Because we are now not comfortable playing in the Premier League and being in the middle.

"We want to be competitive, get in Europe, and be consistent.

"But of course, being consistent and getting into Europe is very difficult in England because it is the hardest league in the world."

While reaching the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League last season, Tuesday's match against the Swiss champions will be many of the Villa squad's first taste of Champions League football. 

However, Emery has strengthened his squad with European experience in recent years. 

Pau Torres was part of Emery's side that reached the semi-finals in 2022, while Ian Maatsen played the duration of Borussia Dortmund's defeat to Real Madrid in last year's final. 

And the Spaniard is looking to those two players in particular to help his side navigate the encounter. 

"We have players with experience; Ian Maatsen played last year and he is with us now," Emery continued. 

"Other players played, Pau Torres played in a semi-final three years ago. And I am playing [coaching] in Europe for 16 years in a row.

"My experiences are very important, but the better experience we are trying to use and get is with Aston Villa, with Aston Villa players, with Aston Villa supporters.

"We are always remembering how amazing it was when they won the Champions League [European Cup] in 1982, and for us, it is very important."

One of the talking points ahead of the clash is the artificial surface at the Wankdorf Stadium.

But Emery is resolute that his players will not be using that as an excuse and will adapt to what they encounter.

"We have to accept and we have to adapt to the pitches we are playing," Emery concluded.  

"Of course, usually we are playing on normal pitches, here it is synthetic. But we are going to try to adapt quickly and know what the difference is with the pitch."

Unai Emery is hoping Aston Villa can channel their competitive spirit once more as they aim for a first home win of the season against Everton.

Villa have so far won both of their away matches against West Ham and Leicester City by a 2-1 scoreline, digging deep to get their six points on the board.

However, they struggled at home against Arsenal, losing 2-0 despite having more attempts and creating a higher expected goals tally.

And despite Everton's recent struggles, Emery expects them to have to fight for the three points when they face off at Villa Park.

"Every game is difficult, but we compete," Emery said. "We did against Arsenal as well. We compete really well.

"Competitive is what we want to be, but we always want to improve and try to perform quality and try to be very demanding in our analysis of ourselves, and I'm happy with how they respond on the pitch."

Meanwhile, Everton are yet to get a point on the board after they began their season with three consecutive defeats.

They currently prop up the table, having conceded 10 goals and scored just two.

New signing Tim Iroegbunam, who joined the Toffees from Villa in the transfer window, has played every minute of the campaign so far and is hopeful he can help to get the team back on track.

"Obviously, the couple of results we've had in the league so far have been disappointing but, from a personal point of view, I'm pleased with how it's been going," he said.

"I knew that if I did well in pre-season that I could have a chance to play straight away. The fact that it's happened for me is promising, but there's lots to do."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Aston Villa – Jhon Duran

Despite only starting three Premier League games in his career, Jhon Duran has scored seven goals in the competition, with six of these coming as a substitute.

His average of 96 minutes per goal is the best of any Villa player to score 3+ times for the club in the Premier League.

Everton – Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has made 97 off-the-ball runs in the Premier League this season, the most of any player, with 44 of these being targeted, also a league-high.

The striker has either scored (five) or assisted (two) seven of the Toffees' last 12 league goals.

MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN

Since their return to the Premier League in 2019, Villa have remained unbeaten in all 10 of their league meetings with Everton (W7 D3), keeping seven clean sheets and conceding just three goals in that run.

Following a run of 15 successive home league wins from March to December 2023, Villa have since won just four of their last 12 Premier League games at Villa Park (D4 L4), losing their only such match this season 0-2 to Arsenal. Only in 2013-14 have the Villans lost both of their first two home matches of a Premier League campaign.

Meanwhile, Everton have lost eight of their last 10 top-flight games that have immediately followed an international break (W1 D1), including all four such matches last season. Villa, meanwhile, have won each of their last five league matches immediately following an international break.

Everton, along with Southampton, are one of two sides to lose all three of their Premier League games so far this season. Only in 1926-27 (five) and 1958-59 (six) have the Toffees ever had a longer losing run from the beginning of a league campaign.

Dyche's men are currently on a torrid run, having lost each of their last four Premier League games; not since October 2005, under David Moyes, have the Toffees lost five in a row in the competition (a run of six).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Aston Villa – 58.6%

Draw – 21.5%

Everton – 19.8%

Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey could be ruled out for over 10 weeks due to a hamstring injury picked up recently.

This according to injury expert Dr. Rajpal Brar, who explained the best and worst-case scenarios for the Jamaican international, as he pointed out that surgery could also be on the cards.

Manager Unai Emery was reluctant to put a timeline on Bailey’s return, and Dr. Brar, a physical therapist and sports scientist, agreed as he explained that the 27-year-old’s return will be determined based on the extent of the injury.

“His return timeline remains TBD, so that leads me to believe it’s not just a low Grade 0 or 1 injury, which would be the best-case scenario. The worst case would be a Grade 4 hamstring rupture, which means over 10 weeks out depending on if surgery is needed or not, and that possibility cannot be ruled out yet,” Dr. Brar told Villa News.

“One confounding variable with Bailey is that he’s a high-pace player, which puts more stress on the hamstrings, so you have to make sure he can handle those demands before being reintroduced,” he added.

Unai Emery praised Jhon Duran’s attitude as the striker scored again in Aston Villa’s 2-1 victory away to Leicester.

Duran was the subject of heavy interest during the transfer window, with both West Ham and Chelsea reported to be interested in signing the Columbian.

But the 20-year-old remained at the club and has scored two goals in the first three games of the season, having scored the winner on the opening day against West Ham, and Emery reserved praise for Duran after the victory over Leicester.

The Spaniard said: He is focused, I didn't need to speak a lot about his future [during the window]. He is focused here. He has trained very well and is playing very well, doing the work we planned. He is scoring goals. Fantastic."

Emery also was pleased with the performance of right back Lamare Bogarde – the 20 year-old made his first Premier League start after Matty Cash’s injury last week.

“He played being comfortable”, said Emery.

“When we use different young players, when we will need them they must be ready. Bogarde, he has qualities to play there [right-back] and to do well. He played well."

Villa have continued their strong away form at the start of this season, and they have recorded 16 wins since Emery took charge, with only Manchester City and Arsenal having more victories.

The Spaniard believes the passionate Villa support on the road has played a huge role, saying: “We spoke about our supporters and that we always feel good away because we feel them. We have to be happy but keep going."

Leicester boss Steve Cooper did not believe the result was a fair one for his side.

Cooper told BBC Sport: "I thought we looked a good team at times today. We definitely didn’t deserve to lose the game. For the first goal, we need to own the set play – but it should never have been a free-kick.

"In the three games we’ve seen, we’ve seen more than enough in the performances to feel like we’re going to be OK [in the Premier League]."

Aston Villa held on to secure a second Premier League victory of the season, winning 2-1 away at Leicester City courtesy of goals from Amadou Onana and Jhon Duran.

Leicester – who have only managed to collect one point from their opening three Premier League fixtures – faced an Unai Emery side who were in no mood to be charitable at the King Power Stadium.

The visitors were on top for much of Saturday’s encounter and they opened their account with a well-worked free-kick routine that resulted in a second goal of the campaign for midfielder Onana after 28 minutes.

Villa doubled their lead after the break when Duran made an immediate impact from the bench, heading in beautifully from Lucas Digne’s centre, but Steve Cooper’s men were not done yet and a sub of their own, Facundo Buonanotte, slammed in from close range to set up a nervy finish.

Leicester pushed for an equaliser but Villa secured a hard-fought win that sees them move up to sixth position on six points ahead of the international break, with the Foxes still waiting for a first win since promotion.

Data Debrief: Villa dominance secures win

Villa were dominant throughout, with an xg of 1.48 to Leicester's 0.39, while they also created a total of four big chances in comparison to the home side's one.

Emery's men have now won their first two away games for the fourth time in the Premier League era, having achieved the feat in 2009-10, 2014-15 and 2020-21.

Unai Emery admitted Aston Villa will do everything in their power to reach the top six this season as they prepare to face Leicester City on Saturday. 

Emery watched on as his side suffered their first defeat of the Premier League season, losing 2-0 to Arsenal at Villa Park despite creating the better chances. 

Last season's top scorer, Ollie Watkins, endured a difficult spell in front of goal, squandering two golden opportunities either side of the half-time interval. 

But the Villains' head coach was confident his players will improve but acknowledged the difficulty of replicating last season's fourth-place finish in the division. 

"I accept the result today because we are doing our way and trying to improve our things and develop as well. It is the second day in the Premier League," Emery said.

"There's still work to do. We will improve and use those matches we played against West Ham and today to understand our way. We will try to be in the top 10, the top six.

"I am happy and if we were scoring goals then maybe we would be winning. With Arsenal, we feel we are close to getting a performance. The players will stay calm and have two days rest and then get ready for the match against Leicester."

Leicester were involved in EFL Cup action in midweek, producing a dominant 4-0 triumph over League Two side Tranmere Rovers at the King Power Stadium. 

The Foxes bounced back from their 2-1 defeat to Fulham in the Premier League, with new signing Jordan Ayew among the scorers on Tuesday.

Ayew was one of two new faces on show, with midfielder Oliver Skipp, who arrived from Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month, also handed his Leicester debut. 

Steve Cooper expressed his delight at the attitude shown by his players during the contest, and is keen for them to carry that into their meeting with Villa on Saturday.

“The most important thing is to win and play well. We had real dominance from start to finish," Cooper said. 

"Jordan (Ayew) made it happen with his goal, which is obviously a wonderful strike and good for him to get off the mark on his debut, but we needed more moments in the final third, whether it was one vs. one or combination work.

"The expectation is to play well. That starts with the right attitude, and I think we showed that mentality in the game tonight, which should be non-negotiable.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Leicester – Jamie Vardy

Jamie Vardy has been involved in 98 Premier League goals at the King Power Stadium (71 goals and 27 assists), scoring their equaliser on the opening day against Spurs.

The veteran striker is looking to become the 14th player to have 100+ goal involvements at a single venue, while since 2014-15, only Mohamed Salah at Anfield (128) and Kevin De Bruyne at the Etihad (111) have more goals and assists at a venue than Vardy at the King Power.

Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins

After enduring an uncharacteristically difficult day in front of goal against Arsenal, Watkins will be hopeful of halting his goal drought against the Foxes. 

Watkins has now gone seven Premier League appearances without a goal for Villa, his longest barren run since an eight-game run between August and October 2022, just prior to Emery’s arrival.

MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN

Villa are expected to bounce back in the East Midlands derby, winning 48.5% of Opta's data-led simulations, with Leicester prevailing in just 27.4% of those instances.

The Foxes, however, have lost just seven of their 28 Premier League meetings with Saturday's opponents (W11 D10), their lowest loss rate against any side they’ve faced 20+ times in the competition (25%).

But keeping goals out has proved to be a problem. Since a run of five clean sheets in six Premier League games prior to the 2022 World Cup break, Leicester have kept just one clean sheet in their last 25 matches in the top flight.

Cooper has also failed to win either of his first two league games in charge of Leicester (D1 L1); the last Foxes manager to win none of his opening three was Paulo Sousa in August 2010.

But since Emery's arrival at Villa Park, he has enjoyed playing away from the West Midlands. Only Man City (23) and Arsenal (20) have won more away games than Villa (15).

Villa are also looking to win their opening two away matches in a Premier League season for a fourth time, previously doing so in 2009-10, 2014-15 and 2020-21. But they will be hopeful of doing so with a clean sheet, having gone seven top flight games without a shutout.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Leicester – 27.4%

Draw – 24%

Aston Villa – 48.5%

Unai Emery believes Arsenal was a "test" for Aston Villa to understand where they are in the season and how they can build on that going forward.

Second-half strikes from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey earned the points for Arsenal in a 2-0 win at Villa Park on Saturday.

However, it could have been a much different story for Emery's men, as Ollie Watkins missed a glorious chance in either half, while Amadou Onana struck the bar.

While the Spaniard was left frustrated by the result, he was left optimistic by the performance in their first home game of the season.

"You have to accept Arsenal they are more experienced, more mature. They are strong," Emery told Sky Sports. "Today was a test for us to understand who we are.

"We competed, we faced them, we could have won, drawn or lost. I think it's going to give us a lot of information about the team, the squad and players and how we can close this week in the transfer window and finish this month playing Leicester.

"I think the way we played today will be a good way to understand how we can process our style, our competitive way.

"We created three very good chances, like them, but our chances were more clear. We competed like we could do; I have to be proud of the players. We have to keep building. Not the result but the way we did [play] this is what we want."

Watkins fired a close-range effort wide in the first half before being denied by a wonderful save by David Raya in the second when he tried to turn in the rebound of Onana's strike.

The England international is yet to score this season, having failed to manage a single shot in their opener against West Ham, but Emery maintains his confidence in the striker to get back to the form that saw him net 19 goals last season.

"The most important thing is to create chances, of course, he is not finishing them all, but I am very happy how he progressed from the first match at West Ham," the Spaniard added.

"His progress has been performing better and creating chances. Ollie Watkins, chances like that in the future, he will score."

Arsenal made a solid start to their latest Premier League title challenge last week, beating Wolves 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium with goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka.

Matchday two, however, promises to present a far tougher challenge for Mikel Arteta's team as they face the team that could be considered responsible for their failure to finish as champions in 2023-24.

Aston Villa – under former Arsenal boss Unai Emery – beat the Gunners home and away last term, with April's 2-0 win at the Emirates allowing Manchester City to inch ahead at the top of the table and claim a fourth straight title.

Villa also started with a win last week, with Jhon Duran stepping off the bench to fire them to a 2-1 victory at West Ham.

Ahead of Saturday's headline clash at Villa Park, we run through all the best Opta facts and stats around the game.

What's expected?

The Opta supercomputer makes Arsenal favourites for victory on matchday two, though not overwhelmingly.

Across 10,000 pre-match simulations conducted by the supercomputer, Arsenal were victorious in 51.1% of cases. Villa repeated last season's heroics against the Gunners in 24.7% of scenarios, while 24.2% saw the points shared.

Villa's double over the Gunners last term accounted for 40% of the Premier League defeats suffered by Arteta's team (2/5). They have recorded three straight Premier League wins against them on two previous occasions, in November 1993 and February 2021.

In fact, Villa have won five of their last nine Premier League meetings with Arsenal (four defeats), keeping a clean sheet in every victory. 

That is as many wins as they had managed in their previous 46 league matches against the Gunners (14 draws, 27 defeats).

Arsenal, though, have won 14 away Premier League games against the Villans, their joint-most wins at a single away venue in the competition, having also triumphed 14 times at Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park.

The Gunners have also scored 98 Premier League goals against Villa in total, only netting more against Everton (124), West Ham (109) and Tottenham (105). Liverpool and Manchester United (five opponents each) are the only teams to have netted 100 or more Premier League goals against more different clubs.

Watkins to cause more Arsenal woe?

Villa may have made a winning start to their campaign, spoiling Julen Lopetegui's West Ham debut with an entertaining win at the London Stadium, but Emery will be looking for a more convincing performance this time out.

Only Liverpool (2.65 versus Ipswich Town) created a higher expected goals (xG) figure than West Ham's 2.46 on matchday one of the Premier League season, albeit 0.78 of that figure came from a Lucas Paqueta penalty – perhaps harshly awarded against Matty Cash.

Of the 11 teams to give up the most expected goals against (xGA) in the division last weekend, Villa were the only one to taste victory – Brentford were the next-most porous victors, allowing Crystal Palace 1.17 xG in a 2-1 win on Sunday.

Villa will need a far better defensive display if they are to stifle Arsenal on Saturday, while they will also be desperate to get more service to Ollie Watkins, who did not attempt a single shot before his 62nd-minute withdrawal versus the Hammers.

Watkins only registered two touches in the West Ham area, one fewer than his replacement Duran, also recording the fewest touches (15), passes attempted (five) and completed (four) of all 22 starters.

Facing an Arsenal side likely to press high and leave space in behind could suit Watkins, though, as he plays his way back into peak condition after helping England reach the Euro 2024 final.

Watkins capped April's 2-0 win at the Emirates with a delightfully dinked finish that put Arsenal on the back foot in the title race, his fifth goal in eight Premier League meetings with the Gunners.

He has been on the winning side in four of those eight games (four losses), and only against Brighton and Hove Albion (six) has he scored more top-flight goals than he has versus Arsenal. The visiting defence must be wary.

Solid spine key for the Gunners?

Villa are the only team to beat Arsenal in the Premier League in 2024, with Arteta's team winning 17 of their 19 games this calendar year (one draw, one loss). In English Football League history, the most wins ever recorded by a team through their first 20 matches in a year is 18, by Liverpool in 1982 and Man City in 2019 and 2021.

The Gunners have been particularly impressive on the road, winning on eight of nine Premier League road trips (one draw) in 2024, scoring 28 goals, conceding three and keeping seven clean sheets in that time.

Arsenal only allowed opponents to create a total of 5.89 xG in those matches, an average of 0.65 per game. The league's next-best ever-present defensive team this year, Man City, have given up 12.39 xGA in 10 road trips.

In the last two seasons, the Gunners have kept 21 away clean sheets (10 in 2022-23, 11 in 2023-24), more than they managed in their previous four campaigns combined (20).

If they can maintain similar levels of solidity in 2024-25 – particularly on their travels – then another title tilt appears a realistic goal.

Arsenal did endure some shaky spells against Wolves last time out, with Jorgen Strand Larsen and Matheus Cunha guilty of passing up huge chances to level when Gary O'Neil's team built up a head of steam, but the Gunners gave up just 0.47 xGA – the fifth-lowest figure of any team on matchday one.

Jurrien Timber came on to steady the ship for the Gunners late on after missing the majority of 2023-24 through injury, while new signing Riccardo Calafiori was an unused substitute.

It remains to be seen whether Arteta will introduce either player to his lineup at Villa Park, where Arsenal must be wary of the direct running of Watkins, Leon Bailey and company.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Aston Villa – Jhon Duran

Duran came on to score the winner against West Ham last week, having been linked with the Irons throughout the transfer window.

Among all players to score at least five Premier League goals, Duran has the second-best minutes-per-goal ratio (six goals, one every 103 minutes), behind only Erling Haaland (one every 85 minutes). 

Five of his six strikes, meanwhile, have come as a substitute (83%). That is the second-highest ratio by any player to ever score at least five Premier League goals, behind Matt Derbyshire, who scored nine of his 10 goals from the bench.

Arsenal – Bukayo Saka

Saka registered a goal and an assist in Arsenal's victory over Wolves last week, also creating the joint-most chances (three) of any player on the pitch. He has now been on the winning side in 99 of his 171 Premier League matches with Arsenal. 

Another victory would make him the fourth player to reach 100 wins in the competition before turning 23, after Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas and Phil Foden.

The England winger was involved in 11 attacking sequences against Wolves on matchday one, more than any other player on the pitch, ahead of Havertz and Thomas Partey (eight apiece).

Unai Emery has said he wants to keep Jhon Duran despite transfer speculation after scoring the winner in Aston Villa's 2-1 victory over West Ham.

Duran slotted home the winner in the 79th minute after Lucas Paqueta’s spot-kick had ruled out Amadou Onana's early opener.

It was Duran's sixth Premier League goal in just 616 minutes of action in the competition, meaning he has averaged a goal every 103 minutes. That rate has only been bettered by Erling Haaland among those who have scored more than five goals.

Duran's goal was all the more fitting given he was seemingly on the verge of joining the Hammers earlier this summer, with the Colombia international even gesturing with an "irons" celebration in a social media video.

But Duran has so far stayed at Villa Park, and Emery is keen to keep it that way, although the Spaniard warned there are no guarantees.

"We were open with every player to accept a good offer and one of those players is him. But we know how much we believe in him and if he leaves it's because the offer is very good, but I want to keep him," Emery told the media.

“We believe in Duran and in his potential. We are always open to working with him if he's like he is today, helping the team and he was fantastic."

Speaking on other possible transfers, Emery suggested Alex Moreno was the most likely left-back to depart the club this summer. 

Having joined in January 2023, Moreno appears to be behind Lucas Digne and new arrival Ian Maatsen in the pecking order, and Nottingham Forest are among the clubs reportedly interested.

"We signed Ian Maatsen and we were speaking with different players in this position. The difficulty is to manage with three left-backs. Moreno is the player who is now close to leaving," he explained.

Debutant Onana headed in Villa's first goal, and while impressed with the midfielder's display, Emery knows there is more to come from the former Everton man.

"There’s still a lot of adaptation ahead, in training and in matches. Today it was his first official match with us. He was very mature, responsible and intelligent," he said.

“I think this is the first step we need. The adaptation is going to be long, because there are a lot of things we want to get out of him, but his potential is most important."

Villa bucked a poor record away at West Ham having gone without a win in their previous nine encounters away from Villa Park.

Despite West Ham’s superior 2.4 expected goals, Emery felt his side were deserving of their victory.

"The first 30 minutes were very good. We were in control of the game, with good positioning. We did'’t concede a corner until the 28th minute. We scored one and had a chance to get a second with Leon Bailey [hitting the post]," he reflected.

"They got a goal too, and we started the second half a bit softly. But we started controlling the game more again and deserved to win."

Julen Lopetegui insisted that he will not "put limits on our dreams" ahead of West Ham's opening game of the Premier League season against Aston Villa. 

Lopetegui, who is taking charge of his second team in England's top flight, has overseen several new arrivals at the London Stadium in the past few weeks. 

Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug have all put pen to paper on deals with the Hammers, but the Spaniard knows that it will take more than just new faces to achieve their end goal. 

"I don't put limits on our dreams. The only way you can achieve dreams is by working," Lopetegui said. 

"We can talk about ambitions, but the most important thing is to work hard every day, especially on the bad days.

"We need to work with good energy and progress step by step."

Meanwhile, Aston Villa are gearing up for the new season along with their first Champions League campaign since 1983 following a fourth-placed finish last season.

They have also made additions, with Unai Emery welcoming eight new arrivals to bolster their squad after seeing injuries threaten to derail their campaign last year. 

However, manager Unai Emery insisted that the Premier League remained a priority, calling for consistency as they aim to navigate a hectic fixture schedule. 

"The first objective is 38 Premier League matches. Then, to play in the Champions League is really the way we want to be competitive," Emery said.

"To win a title through the Champions League, we could, but it would be very difficult.

"We’re not refusing this option, but we have to be competitive and consistent in the Premier League."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

West Ham – Crysencio Summerville

Last season's Championship Player of the Year, Summerville, will be hoping to hit the ground running in what will be his third crack at the Premier League. 

The Dutchman was involved in 28 goals last season for Leeds (19 goals and nine assists excluding the play-offs), with only Southampton’s Adam Armstrong (34) and Blackburn’s Sammie Szmodics (31) involved in more.

Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins

Off the back of his most prolific scoring season with Villa and a semi-final strike for England at Euro 2024, Ollie Watkins has been tipped to challenge for the Golden Boot this time around. 

Watkins joined the Villans from Brentford, but has enjoyed a return to the capital since, scoring more times (13) in games played in London than any other Villa player. 

He has 59 overall in the Premier League, behind only Gabriel Abgonlahor (74) and Dwight Yorke (60) for the West Midlands club. 

MATCH PREDICTION: WEST HAM WIN

West Ham just edge Opta's data-led simulations, handed a win percentage of 41.1% compared to Villa's 32.2%, with a draw given a 26.7% chance of happening. 

But both sides have struggled on the opening day in recent years. The Hammers have lost on five of the six occasions they’ve begun a Premier League campaign against a side who finished in the previous season’s top four. 

They have also won their opening Premier League match in just one of the last eight seasons (D1 L6), beating Newcastle 4-2 in 2021-22. Indeed, the Hammers have lost their opening game in the Premier League more often than any other side (15).

But they have fared better against Saturday's opponents in the head-to-head record. The Hammers have lost just one of their last 12 Premier League games against Aston Villa (W6 D5), which came in a 4-1 loss at Villa Park last season.

Aston Villa have lost their opening Premier League match in each of the last three seasons, conceding 10 goals in those games. They also lost the last time they faced West Ham in their first game, falling to a 1-0 defeat at Upton Park in 2012-13.

Emery's side failed to win any of their last four Premier League games in 2023-24 (D2 L2), their longest run without a win under the Spaniard. The 52-year-old last had a longer run without a league win between May and September 2021 with Villarreal (D4 L1).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

West Ham – 41.1%

Draw – 26.7%

Aston Villa – 32.2%

Amadou Onana is aiming to take Aston Villa to the top following the completion of his transfer from Everton on Monday. 

Onana, who became Unai Emery's eighth signing this transfer window, signed a five-year contract in a deal worth £50million. 

The 22-year-old will serve as a replacement for the departing Douglas Luiz, who completed a £42.35million switch to Juventus last month. 

Onana featured in all four of Belgium's Euro 2024 fixtures in Germany, and made 72 appearances for Everton during his two-year stint at Goodison Park. 

Villa are competing in the Champions League for the first time this season following their fourth place finish in the Premier League. 

And Onana is keen to build on the foundations laid by Emery at Villa Park as he looks to bring success back to the West Midlands. 

"To take what I can and help bring this football club to the top," Onana told Aston Villa's official website on his ambitions upon his arrival at the club. 

"I think they had a tremendous season last year, and we have to surf on that vibe and try to compete for the top."

The Belgian international was linked with a before his switch to Villa, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all interested in his services. 

However, Onana was able to list several positives of choosing to play his football under Emery, someone he described as "one of the best in the business".

"It was a bit of everything. It is a healthy atmosphere here for me to grow as a player, but also as a man," Onana told Aston Villa's official website. 

"You guys played some very attractive football last season, loads of goals, and we will be playing in the Champions League next season. 

"Those are some of the things that are very exciting with a manager who is, for me, one of the best in the business and I think he can take my game to the next level."

Onana has previously featured in the Champions League, making eight appearances during his time with Lille. 

Having helped Everton avoid relegation from the Premier League over the past two years, Onana is looking forward to playing among Europe's elite once again.

"I think Champions League nights are different from any other night," Onana said. "It is a special feeling walking out to that Champions League song."

Ian Maatsen labelled Aston Villa head coach as "brilliant" as he prepares for the club's maiden appearance in this season's Champions League. 

Maatsen completed his £37.5million switch from Chelsea while on international duty with the Netherlands at Euro 2024. 

The 22-year-old, who did not feature for Ronald Koeman's side in Germany, signed a six-year deal at Villa Park following an impressive loan spell with Borussia Dortmund last season. 

Maatsen made 16 Bundesliga appearances, scoring two goals and helping Die Schwarzgelben reach the Champions League final, playing the full duration of their 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid at Wembley. 

Emery led Villa to a fourth place finish in the Premier League, and has become well known for his success on the European stage during his time in Spain. 

The Spaniard has won the Europa League on four different ocassions, while also guiding Villa to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League last term. 

"Last season they did very well and the coach obviously is a brilliant coach with a lot of experience in Europe," Maatsen told Aston Villa's official club website.

"They are playing Champions League football this season so it is exciting. "He is a manager who loves to play football and win trophies.

"That was the challenge for me to come here and show the people that I am capable of doing these things at the highest level."

Maatsen made his Champions League debut in Dortmund's last 16 fixture against PSV Eindhoven, going on to make seven appearances in the competition. 

And while many predict Emery's side to follow Newcastle after trying to juggle league and European commitments, the defender insisted that he is confident that Villa can become regulars in Europe's elite club competition. 

"It's good because obviously we are here now to earn a spot in the Champions League every year - it's such a great competition."

Maatsen is one of seven new arrivals at Villa Park, with Emery taking his spending this transfer window to £140million after the arrival of Amadou Onana from Everton was confirmed on Monday. 

Villa begin the 2024-25 season away to West Ham on August 17, a side they have failed to beat away from home in the league since a 2-1 victory at Upton Park back in April 2011.

Former Aston Villa striker Dwight Yorke believes Unai Emery has done a "remarkable job" and hopes they can maintain the new level they have reached.

Emery joined Villa in November 2022 when the club was in a relegation fight, and led them to a seventh-place finish, securing qualification to the Europa Conference League.

In his first full season in charge, the Spaniard oversaw another impressive campaign as the Villans finished fourth in the Premier League, ensuring Champions League football for the first time since 1982-83.

Villa also reached the semi-final of the Europa Conference League after seeing off Ajax and Lille in the knockout stages, but were knocked out by eventual champions, Olympiacos.

On Monday, Villa confirmed that Emery had signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2029.

Yorke, who spent nine years at Villa between 1989 and 1998, says the club have finally found the right balance.

"They've got good backers, good owners, invest heavily in their team and that shows what they want, but they've got also you need a correct manager and I think Unai Emery has come into that category," Yorke told Stats Perform.

"Villa is a tremendous football club. Emery has done a remarkable job to get Villa in the Champions League, a bit like Newcastle last season in many respects.

"Now the expectation is can he now really show what kind of manager he is? Now the [board] and the chairman will back him, bringing new players, bringing players to enhance that team, and they are going to try and maintain that [status as a top club].

"If he does that next year and qualifies for the Champions League again, plus probably win a cup, I think he then shows what really a true fantastic manager he is for Villa.

"To achieve their goal this season, I think the chairman, the fans, everybody will be thrilled that Villa is in the Champions League next year."

Despite their strong season, Yorke admits that Villa will need to think about adding to their squad to cope with the demands of playing in the Champions League.

"You have got to say to the owners, listen I need another three, four, five players to come in because now you're playing with the big boys, you're going from Champions League to the Premier League to the Champions League with the big boys," he added.

"You need a squad to be going into these games. The players will find it totally different because they're not used to that.

"They have got get used to that very quickly, but you've got an experienced manager in that type of way of playing [in Europe as well as domestically]. It will be new for Villa.

"It will be interesting to see how they handle that type of story going forward, how they handle the Champions League.

"It takes a really unique manager to then get a team advancing out of that group, then into the latter stage from the round of 16.

"[If Emery does that], now you're showing your true colours, but I think they've got to add maybe three or four new players to the squad that will help them to make sure that they can maintain [a challenge] on both fronts."