Aston Villa

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Unai Emery speaking to BBC Match of the Day after their 1-0 victory over Bournemouth: "I am very proud of the team and grateful for the owners and the way they are supporting us and are ambitious. They are very focused in different competitions and achieving different objectives and the most important for us is the Premier League to once again get Europe.

"We are in the run for it and we are competing today with the demands set in the dressing room. The players, we try to get out of our pressure something positive.

"It is the best competition in the world, we are winning matches and we can be a good contender. We are winning to try and be there. The first objective is to try and play in Europe again and we are feeling comfortable with the pressure we are setting ourselves.

"We are fighting with Manchester City and Chelsea and we fight for Europe."

On Ollie Watkins: "Fantastic. Brilliant. We are here, collectively achieving our objective. Ollie Watkins is fantastic. He played consistently here and he is very humble. Trying to improve every day sand he is not relaxing. He played fantastic. We were very demanding how we we needed to press them and threaten them.

"We did it collectively and over 90 minutes very good work. We did not concede a lot of chances. But how we compete and defend, I am so proud of them."

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Ollie Watkins scored his 75th Premier League goal for Aston Villa, overtaking Gabriel Agbonlahor (74) to become their highest ever goalscorer in the competition.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

What did you make of Villa's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

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This should be a cracking game. Aston Villa really need a win to boost their hopes of making the top five, but how can I back against a Bournemouth side that beat Arsenal last time out?

Part of my predictions strategy last week was to back the teams who are going for the Champions League places, but I don't think you can just ignore how well a team like Bournemouth are playing.

Sutton's prediction: 2-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here.

Five matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Fulham v Everton

• Ipswich Town v Brentford

• Southampton v Manchester City - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Wolves v Brighton

• Bournemouth v Aston Villa (17:30 BST) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

With the race for Champions League football reaching the final few hurdles, we asked our fan contributors of five clubs involved to let us know if their team will make the top five and if not, what happens next.

This is what Richard Sutherland from The Villa Park Podcast, external had to say...

Here is what the other four contenders' fans thought about the race for Champions League football...

Man City will make the top five because "simply, we are one of the best teams in the country"

Newcastle will make the top five because "we have the number one striker in world football"

Chelsea will make the top five because of "belief generated" by win over Liverpool

Nottingham Forest will make the top five because of a "more favourable" run-in

On the latest episode of his BBC Sounds podcast, Kyle Walker talks about Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool's title, the race for the Champions League and dealing with injury at AC Milan.

Listen to the episode

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Bournemouth (kick-off 17:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Emery confirmed midfielder Youri Tielemans is injured with a "small issue" and will not be available for Saturday, however, they will "test him again" next week.

• He could not say whether Marcus Rashford will play again this season but did confirm the forward will not be available this weekend.

• On the importance of having their full focus on the race for Champions League: "Our objective is Europe. We played Conference League last year, Champions League this year, but of course Europe has three options - Champions League, Europa League and Conference League."

• He added: "[I am] excited [for this match], but also responsible [for us] to play again in Europe. Of course, to play in the Champions League is the best you can do, but the most difficult. It is not in our hands - we have to win and wait for other results."

• On whether this season still shows progress for the club if they miss out on top five: "Tomorrow we are not able to decide with our hand which competition we will play in next year if we are in Europe. Other teams have points in front of us. After 90 minutes tomorrow we will have an idea of how we are. Same as against Fulham last week. We can't keep speaking about the possibility to play in Champions League or not, but to play in Europe is in our hands."

• Emery said it is "not a surprise" how Bournemouth are performing this year: "The coach is doing fantastic job. They have very, very good players - talented players."

• He added: "They are now an opponent for Europe. Tomorrow is now the biggest test in the last matches we will play."

• The Villa boss said "respect for our fans" is most important after the club's upcoming match with Tottenham was brought forward from a Sunday to Friday: "I can understand they prefer to play on a Saturday or Sunday. Of course, I am going to focus on the match on Friday and accept it, but I understand my supporters and have to protect my supporters."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to full commentary of Bournemouth v Aston Villa live on BBC Sounds from 17:30 BST on Saturday

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Aston Villa has announced the club will travel to the USA for this summer's pre-season tour.

Unai Emery's side will take on MLS outfit St Louis City at Energizer Park on Wednesday, 30 July before facing Nashville SC at Geodis Park on Saturday, 2 August.

The US trip is expected to have an additional fixture added to the schedule, which will take place prior to these two matches.

Villa will open their pre-season with a game at Walsall on Wednesday, 16 July before travelling to Germany to take on Hansa Rostock on Saturday, 19 July.

Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is keen to stay in Europe when his contract expires this summer with and Aston Villa understood to be among a host of clubs keeping an eye on his situation. (i paper), external

Meanwhile, Villa do not want to lose £90m-rated England midfielder Morgan Rogers, who is attracting the interest of Chelsea, but the 22-year-old would be open to a move if the opportunity presented itself. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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Perhaps somebody will ask Unai Emery this week how much difference it really makes for their last home game, against Tottenham Hotspur, to be moved forward from Sunday to Friday at 10 days' notice.

From outside, it is hard to believe that such a well-organised staff as Villa's will find that difficult. Villa played 55 first-team fixtures last season, a figure they will equal for this campaign on Saturday, so turning the squad round for a game every three or four days has become standard practice.

Nevertheless, Villa made a fuss in advance about the change and have expressed their annoyance at the final decision in a smartly respectful way. Keeping grumbles out of their official communications, Damian Vidagany - Villa's director of football operations, and the jolly figure alongside Emery in almost every media appearance - issued a well-pitched missive on social media: "Fixture changed and honestly, not happy..."

So? Well, even if this season ultimately ends in disappointment - and I will qualify that in a moment - it has been a season full of drama and several truly landmark occasions. No Villa fan could seriously say they were not entertained, at least.

But one area in which the club has perhaps let itself down at times recently has been a careless approach to the relationship with those fans.

In their understandable dash to maximise revenue, Villa's handling of some issues, most notably ticket-pricing, left a section of long-serving supporters feeling under-appreciated, banking trouble for the future.

With that in mind, even if it was obvious that a change to this fixture would be of much greater inconvenience - and potentially expense - to supporters than players, it was good to see a senior figure at the club acknowledge that, and say how unhappy he was about it.

Vidagany was also right to note that, on this occasion, the Premier League did have a reasonable motive: to be seen to be even-handed towards two English teams in a European final.

But clearly signalling he understood why supporters would be cross and had been protesting on their behalf was the right thing to do, and a good example for the future.

Let me quickly clarify what I mean by Villa's season possibly ending in disappointment. They are very likely to qualify for Europe for the third season running, and - at worst - go into a competition for which they will be the ante-post favourites, given the strong chance of English sides winning both the Europa and Conference Leagues this season.

The Champions League is the preferred outcome, but the consolation prizes are not bad either.

Listen to full commentary of Bournemouth v Aston Villa at 17:30 BST on Saturday on BBC Radio WM 95.6FM/DAB/Freeview

Tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

The future of Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez, 32, at Aston Villa could be in doubt, with the Midlands club looking to sign a new stopper in the summer transfer window. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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The fact that Aston Villa were in the Champions League this season and won plenty of games in it shows that they are competitive at the highest level.

With the players they have and the manager that they have, it is a fair expectation to believe that they could - and feel that they should - be in the Champions League next campaign.

If they do not make it, I feel they will think that they have let themselves down. Given all the teams that could finish ahead of them, I do not think for a second they should believe those clubs are miles ahead of where Villa are. They are not.

Maybe you could say they have gone on a relative slide recently, because at one point they were the form side, not just in the Premier League, but around Europe too.

However, it is tough to say it would be a big step backwards if they do not qualify because that feels harsh. They know they are good enough to be in the Champions League again next season and they will still fight to the very end.

• Not a Villa fan? Find and follow your club here

You look at the three remaining fixtures - Bournemouth, Tottenham and Manchester United - are United players still playing in the league? Are Spurs? How good are Bournemouth?

It would be a huge disappointment if they do not make the Champions League spots this season. But it also feels like they made somewhat of a transition in terms of the players that have come in and gone out. However, the belief, the standard and the level was raised.

Losing the FA Cup semi-final in the way that they did and if they finish the season badly, it will be a lesson - one that many teams have to face - in needing to play well, not just for the season, but during the most important parts too. Including the end.

If you do not play well at that stage, it can lead to significant disappointment.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

David Michael
Fan writer

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For Aston Villa, the maths is simple - win their final three games or forget about playing Champions League football next season.

In truth, there is little need for fans to eagerly check the results of those around them. Villa's poor goal difference means they'll almost certainly need maximum points to avoid finishing on the outside looking in.

Perhaps the toughest of the three fixtures might not be the obvious name to jump out. Bournemouth away poses a far trickier test than many assume, with the Cherries racking up some impressive results this season and Villa failing to beat them at Villa Park too.

After that, Villa close out the campaign against Tottenham and Manchester United, both of whom may be impacted by a Europa League final that will take place between the two fixtures.

But Villa should never have been in this position to begin with.

As I have previously written, defensive inconsistency has dogged them for most of the season, while at the other end of the pitch, top scorer Ollie Watkins - despite having a solid campaign overall - leads the Premier League for big chances missed (26 and counting). Both have played their part in blunting Villa's momentum, particularly at home.

Consider this: Villa are currently unbeaten in 17 Premier League home games (W10 D7), matching their best run in the Premier League era. But unlike their stunning 16 wins and one draw between March and December 2023, this version has been littered with costly dropped points.

Frustratingly, even turning just a couple of those draws into victories would have left them in the driver's seat for the top five.

Instead, the margins are tight, and the run-in is tense.

Still, if Unai Emery's side can hold their nerve - and rediscover the ruthlessness that once defined them - there is still a route to Europe's top table. They just have to take it the hard way.

Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external

Aston Villa are monitoring Real Madrid and Ukraine goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, 26, as Emiliano Martinez continues to be linked with a summer exit. (Birmingham Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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We asked for your views on Aston Villa's Premier League match against Fulham.

Here are some of your comments:

Villa fans

Cassie: Some of the Villa players looked tired after a long season. It was a game they needed to win,but didn't take advantage when Fulham only had 10 players on the pitch. Boubacar Kamara is an unsung hero and again he played a blinder.

Ian: A very controlled solid performance with a good early goal but missed chances made for a nervy ending to the game. I suppose with so much at stake, it is only to be expected.

Tony: A disjointed performance against a pedestrian opponent with little to really shout about apart from the points. Youri Tielemans worked tirelessly and was the pick of the bunch and Donyell Malen impressed when he came on. Ollie Watkins had another day to forget sadly. Only the points make any impression after the event.

David: Lucky to get three points. Too slow, and giving the ball away too easily. As for the substitutions, taking off Ian Maatsen and John McGinn when both were playing well, and leaving Pau Torres on when he was having a stinker... hard to work out what Unai Emery was thinking!

Fulham fans

David: As with last week against Southampton, we didn't get going until the second half. Much better then but ultimately not enough firepower up front. Has been said previously here but we still miss Aleksandar Mitrovic. Probably a season too soon for Europe so maybe it's no bad thing not to qualify.

Rob: Lacking passion, drive and imagination. A golden opportunity missed to pick up points against a Villa side low on confidence after their FA Cup defeat. Bournemouth showed how to do it against Arsenal, taking the game to them in the second half and having a right go at them. Why oh why couldn't Fulham have done the same against Villa?

Bill: Things seem to be falling apart right now. As a unit, the team look knackered and without inspiration. Silva's tactics and substitutions are often ludicrous, as twice now we've gone down to 10 men because of his decisions to use all his subs. You must hold one back in case of injuries surely?! We've fallen to 11th in 24 hours - not just disappointing but very worrying,

Robert: I thought Fulham had to beat the ref if they were to get anything out of the game.

Aston Villa and Arsenal are eyeing 25-year-old Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, with the Serie A club expected to ask for around £42m for the Serbian. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport