Aston Villa

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Aston Villa boss Unai Emery, speaking to Sky Sports: "Good afternoon, we are happy to play here at Villa Park. We get a lot of energy off the supporters and we are feeling strong, but we have to keep consistency.

"Play with energy, intensity and play intelligently with our head. Of course, that is the challenge today."

On Harvey Elliott: "Of course, he needed to adapt fast. Today is an opportunity to show how he has grown in his adaptation. He has experience in the Premier League to play matches like today. He has the habit to play, and hopefully he can feel strong, confident and comfortable in his position.

"Of course, he has to work a lot today as we need all the players working hard."

On Morgan Rogers: "Keep calm and keep being consistent. Always looking forward. Of course, not being frustrated and he is going to recover his good performances."

On Marco Silva: "He is a very good coach. He demands a lot, and I am always challenging myself playing against him."

Fulham

Fulham defender Joachim Andersen, speaking to Sky Sports: "Of course, the start of the season has been decent. The last few wins have given us confidence and we need to take that into this game."

"We improved our structure this season. We are much more compact and much more difficult to play in-between and working as a unit. Everyone is working really hard, and it is tough to create chances [against us].

"Aston Villa want to get some more points than they have so far. They now play on Thursday night, so hopefully they will be more tired and we need to take advantage of that.

"It is a top team and good players - we need to show up and show them what we can do."

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter at Villa Park

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Unai Emery has issued a plea to the home supporters to back Aston Villa during their slow start to the season.

The misfiring Morgan Rogers was the target of fans' frustration during Thursday's Europa League win over Bologna, with Emery asking the crowd to help the stuttering Villa stars.

He wrote in his programme notes: "The fans have the right to show and share your emotions, of course, and as professionals we must carry on and do our best. But we should not forget to be grateful.

"The players can be in a good or bad moment but they always try and they deserve our full support."

Conor Coady
Wrexham defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Brilliant appointment. When he left Forest, I knew it was a tap-in for West Ham, with the way they were playing.

I think how he holds himself and how he speaks and then how he works with the players and makes them better is great.

I think West Ham have got an unbelievable manager and I think they will love him.

Conor Coady
Wrexham defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

The hard thing is building a squad and even harder is transitioning a squad.

You have to do it at some point and I'd like to think it will be a team in a couple of years that has transitioned. You have to give Emery all the time in the world because of what he's done already.

Tim Krul
Former Newcastle goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

When you look at the players, Aston Villa have some amazing talent.

I do think you have to be careful what you wish for. Monchi won the Europa League with Sevilla a few times and has helped Aston Villa grow.

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I know Aston Villa beat Bologna in the Europa League on Thursday but they were poor against Sunderland last Sunday.

The biggest worry for me was that they just didn't seem to connect, even though they were playing against 10 men. It looked like their forwards had never played together before.

Fulham come into this after winning two league games in a row, against Leeds and Brentford, and they will definitely see this as winnable too.

Most people have probably been looking at Villa and thinking they have made a poor start and will turn things round, but I've not seen anything to suggest that will happen.

They will have to create far more than they have been doing if they are going to get their first win of the season. I have given them a goal and a point here, but I am not entirely sure why.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter at Villa Park

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Ollie Watkins is given another chance to end his goal drought, with the England striker on his joint-longest dry spell for Aston Villa.

The striker has gone nine club games without a goal, including two at the end of last season.

On Thursday his weak penalty was saved by Lukasz Skorupski as Villa edged past Bologna in the Europa League.

Watkins scored 16 Premier League goals last season - with Morgan Rogers the nearest with eight - and as Watkins struggles it is hard to see where the goals are coming from for Villa at the moment.

Julien Laurens
European football expert on BBC Radio 5 Live

Imagine what Marco Silva could do if he had proper ibvestment.

I think they are underrated. I think Iwobi is underrated and Marco Silva is massively underrated in this country.

I think that left side partnership of Robinson and Iwobi is one of the best in the country.

*Antonee Robinson is not playing against Aston Villa but Alex Iwobi is, following his goal and assist against Brentford last week.

Tim Krul
Former Newcastle goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think Fulham could go places if they invested properly.

If Marco Silva is backed, he could be one of the best managers in the Premier League.

Clinton Morrison
Former Premier League striker on BBC Radio 5 Live at Villa Park

Unai Emery is the boss of the football club. I don't know why the football club has so many coaches, I know times have changed, but the amount of people that are coaching. I am thinking 'what is your job title?' They have had a slow start and you can judge Emery all you want, but the job he has done at Aston Villa is first-class.

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Aston Villa

Aston Villa's loanee Harvey Elliott, speaking to Premier League Productions: "It is an incredible feeling.

"I think every time you step out on the pitch and especially starting the game it's a wonderful feeling. To be at home today in front of home supporters I am so excited.

"Results have not gone our way, but today is a great place and position to go out and put it right.

"Finding the spaces where I can find the ball, most importantly, bringing the forward players involved.

"Defensively I need to be at it today as Fulham are a great side with a great gameplan. They will want to come here and want to win."

Clinton Morrison
Former Premier League striker on BBC Radio 5 Live at Villa Park

Harvey Elliott has gone from Liverpool where he can sit on the bench, but he has come to Villa and he wants to play football matches.

You can look at Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers, there is so much pressure on the front two to produce.

Harvey Elliott is the right call, I'm happy he is starting because it has been such a slow start for Aston Villa.

Eddie Nketiah struck with virtually the last kick of an enthralling encounter at Selhurst Park yesterday to give Crystal Palace a deserved victory and end Premier League leaders Liverpool's five-match winning start to the season.

You can watch highlights of that game above, and all the rest of Saturday's action here.

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Morgan Rogers must play his way back into form and ignore the jeers, says Aston Villa boss Unai Emery.

The England international endured another disappointing display last Thursday, despite Villa's 1-0 Europa League win over Bologna.

Villa fans directed ironic cheers towards Rogers after he completed a pass late on as the hosts won their first game of the season.

"The fans have to show their emotions," Emery said. "We have to accept it. They applaud us and sometimes not.

"Morgan is young and needs time for experiences. I kept him on the field because I wanted his reaction, how he was accepting everything and he did it.

"He didn't play well and didn't be clinical in the attacking third to do the last assist, but I wanted to keep him because, firstly he's always doing his task.

"He was working for the team, but he was not being clinical offensively. He needs to take experiences, not playing very well, the crowd not being happy with him and him getting his experiences and grow up through it."

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport

Morgan Rogers' influence has waned since the early February arrival of loanees Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, which meant he was moved to a less-favoured position wide on the right. However, Rogers has looked a shadow of his former self this season back in his preferred number 10 role. He has the worst pass accuracy and duel success rate of any Villa player in 2025-26

The 23-year-old's performance on Thursday may well have been the nadir as he only completed 10 of his 24 passes and lost possession a staggering 29 times. Ironic cheers greeted a successful pass he made in the 89th minute.

Fan frustration has been heightened by the fact Rogers' laboured displays – though there was no lack of effort from him against Bologna – contrast so sharply with his lively and inventive performance for England against Serbia earlier this month.

Unai Emery intimated after Thursday's game that he keeps selecting Rogers in the hope he can play himself into form. "He needs to take experiences like today - not playing very well, the crowd not being happy with him - and grow up through it."

Rogers and his team-mates must now find a way to end the club's longest wait for a league win from the start of a season since 1969.