Unai Emery has said Aston Villa must be mindful of Newcastle’s struggles after qualifying for the Champions League and said his side’s focus is on closing the gap to Premier League title contenders such as Saturday’s opponents, Arsenal.
Villa beat Arsenal home and away last season, the latter a 2-0 win in April that strengthened their hopes of finishing in the top four. Villa subsequently qualified for Europe’s premier competition for the first time since 1982-83, the season after they won the European Cup, but Emery knows doing so presents challenges. Newcastle exceeded expectations by finishing in the top four two seasons ago but 12 months later Eddie Howe’s side finished seventh, missing out on European football altogether because Manchester United won the FA Cup.
