Around 19:00 on Sunday, Old Trafford will be a bleak place to be as Manchester United fans to split away from a desperate season with a summer full of uncertainty ahead. But in a corner of the stadium will be a group of people who will probably celebrate.
Aston Villa goes to the northeast of England, knowing that a victory will protect European football again, while if some results go their way, it can be a different tilt in the Champions League.
Under Unai Emery – Manager since November 2022 – the Villans have been reborn. The Spanish tactician has brought them from relegation threatened to the best teams on the continent.
Now, the end of his third full season as a villa boss, it will be a good time to take stock of what he has achieved, but also look forward to what a determining time of his era will be.
Win and in?
Champions League qualification saw a fair road for Aston Villa earlier this season. In February they were 10 points behind the high -flying Nottingham Forest, now they are one point ahead.
In an interview with Sky Sports last week, Emery said: “What is interesting for me is how the supporters and the players now feel about where we are. We were behind Nottingham Forest and behind Chelsea, maybe eight or nine or 10 points behind them.
“I tell the players, we have to enjoy the process, enjoy playing. It's not just about the result at the end. It's about how we perform and how we sometimes struggle. That is also good because those experiences can help us in the future.”
Aston Villa is sixth on its way to the last day of the seasonal flash score
Now that they are outside those places on target difference, it has been a series of brilliant shape to get them there. In the last 10 games they are the best team in the competition with 24 points at the time.
Results must go their way if they want to get the top five, but regardless of the outcome, it is another season for Emery.
A victory on Sunday is equal to their amount last season with one less defeat in the Premier League. Combined with a long and deep run in the Champions League, only ended by the Juggernuts of PSG – a game in which they were until the dying moments – it was a remarkably consistent campaign by Emery and his charges.
Even Europa League of Conference League football would not be a fall from the grace for Villa if that is their destination after Sunday. It would enable them to be one of the favorites in those competitions.
Summer of change?
Revision of players is a fact for most parties that are not competition champions because they want to improve. That probably seems to be for Villa.
Goalkeeper and Cult -hero Emiliano Martinez gave an emotional farewell to the cavity end after their last home game, in advance shading a move from the club where he has been since 2020. It is said that many clubs are interested in the 2023 and 2024 Lev Yashin Trophy winner, and despite four years about his current deal, this would be the best time for Villa to change their number one.
In the past, the Birmingham club has opted for young signing sessions – Morgan Rogers distinguishes itself from the current crop – and at 32 Martinez can be past its prime.
The spine of their team seems to remain, but the big question mark will be Ollie Watkins. Subject to an offer from Arsenal in the transfer star of January, Watchins, with its 16 goals and eight assists in the competition this season, could again be a target for large clubs.
The International English International is also approaching its 30th birthday, and Villa could be on the market to find someone to form in their number nine as Watkins Staart. That feels unlikely, so a fight could arise this summer for the signature of the striker.
This feels like a big summer for Emery. He will want to build on a team in which he has introduced depth in the past two seasons, while improving their quality to compete on all fronts.
Trophy tilt
Aston Villa is a large, historic club in every way. European Cup winners in 1982, first division champions and seven-time FA Cup winners, their history screams. But because their only major European trophy was 43 years ago, a taste of silverware is needed for Emery and for the fans.
This season was full of highlights in Europe, but Cup is going to the final winners Crystal Palace in the FA Cup and to the same opposition in the League Cup in October suggest that there will be more in its own country.
We have seen this season what a trophy can offer. The scenes at Wembley for the fan bases of Palace and Newcastle showed a release of that tension that was built over generations. Villa feels ready to take that next step and add it to their trophy cabinet.
Given their opposition, the Premier League feels a piece in 2025/26, but Emery is the right man to take on that task. They are able to fight every team on their day; For a long and difficult season, however, it will be difficult to keep that consistency.
Their best gamble could then get into the cups. In Europe it depends on the competition in which they play, but a run at the FA Cup or the League Cup is not excluded on the home front.
Aston Villa is one of the best guided clubs in the division, financial sound and with a stadium repeat development on the road, they are on the base to keep improving with Emery at the helm.
It starts with Sunday in Old Trafford. The Supporters of Manchester United will look at one team that goes to Europe, and much will be aware of the incredible combination between the two parties. The couple could not be further apart, both on and outside the field, the best indication that what Emery does in Aston Villa is built to last a long time.
Josh Donaldsonflash score
Follow Villa's last game of the season with FlashScore.