Emery says Villa must deal with Fulham first, Barcelona can wait
- Unai Emery told reporters Aston Villa's Premier League game against Fulham on Saturday comes before next week's Champions League trip to Barcelona.
- Villa beat Manchester City 2-1 last week and are chasing a third straight league win.
- Villa sit ninth in the table, three points above Fulham.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has made it clear where his mind is this weekend: on Fulham, not on Barcelona.
Villa host the Cottagers at Villa Park on Saturday in the Premier League, days before travelling to Spain to face Barcelona in the Champions League. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Emery said treating the Fulham game as a warm-up for Europe would be a serious error.
"If we are thinking, after the match tomorrow against Fulham, we are making a mistake, and we are wrong, completely wrong," he said.
He added that Saturday's match is the clear priority and that the message has been passed to his players.
Why this game matters
Villa are ninth in the table, three points clear of Fulham, and are chasing a third league win in a row. Last week they ended leaders Manchester City's unbeaten start to the season with a 2-1 victory.
Emery said the club still needs points in the league and cannot afford to look past any opponent if it wants to stay near the top, as it did last season.
"Each match is a test," he said.
He also stressed the need to respect Fulham, describing the London side as opponents who deserve full concentration.
For Nigerian fans who follow the Premier League closely, the match is a chance to see whether Villa can build on the City result or slip back into inconsistency. A win would keep them climbing; a defeat would hand Fulham a lift in the same part of the table.
What happens next
After Saturday's game, Villa turn to their Champions League fixture away to Barcelona. Emery's comments suggest he wants the league points secured before anyone at the club starts thinking about that trip.
