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Emery bids to reverse Villa slump against Juventus / Photo: © AFP
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Emery bids to reverse Villa slump against Juventus
Unai Emery has challenged Aston Villa to end their dismal run by claiming another memorable Champions League scalp against "historic" Italian giants Juventus on Wednesday.
Emery's side started the season strongly in the Premier League and won their first three Champions League games, including an impressive 1-0 victory at home against Bayern Munich.
But Villa's form has dipped alarmingly and they have failed to win any of their past six games in all competitions.
They sit in eighth position in the revamped league phase of Europe's elite club competition -- with a top-eight finish earning automatic qualification for the last 16.
Villa boss Emery warned that Juventus would be a tough proposition, calling them one of the superpowers of European football.
But, despite Villa's recent woes, the Spaniard believes they are capable of getting back on track at the expense of the two-time Champions League winners.
"It's a team with Real Madrid in Spain, Bayern Munich in Germany, Paris Saint-Germain in France and Juventus," he said. "They are maybe one of the best teams in the world, historically and now.
"To watch them at Villa Park in a match we have tomorrow is fantastic. And we want to compete."
Emery's message to fans was to enjoy the occasion.
"We want to enjoy competing and we want to enjoy winning," he said. "We are here in the Champions League, trying to be consistent.
"Hopefully, we can play a lot of years again in the Champions League but the reality is, now is the moment we have to enjoy, we have to compete, we have to face Juventus tomorrow, we have to try to face them being competitive."
Emery said he liked the longer group stage, now with eight matches, as it gave teams opportunities to recover from poor results, but he still expected the top teams to progress.
"Tomorrow, they are a very important three points, of course, but if we are not winning and only taking one point, it is good," he said.
"In the table, we are in a top-eight position and the objective is to be in the next round. We have a possibility to be in a top-eight position and we are going to try to get it."
T. Jones--BTZ
