Details From Unai Emery's Press Conference Ahead of Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace

Unai Emery sat down with the media at Aston Villa's training ground, Bodymoor Heath, ahead of their Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Sunday. The 53-year-old discussed the challenges of facing Palace, the need to get their season underway and a busy last few days of the transfer window.

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

🆚 Crystal Palace (H)
🏆 Premier League
🗣️ Unai Emery pic.twitter.com/37v5BZy1Lb

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 29, 2025

Team News and Youngsters

Emery plans to assess the squad tomorrow in their final training session before the game. Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana and Andres Garcia are all expected to miss out through injury. Ross Barkley remains a doubt.

"We will see tomorrow, I don’t want to anticipate. We have some players injured but I will want to train tomorrow and (see) how we can use the players in the squad for Sunday.

"Until tomorrow, the last training session, I don’t want to say anything."

Due to the injuries Villa have, their bench is likely to be filled with some academy players that have been training with the first-team squad.

"We have some young players. They're training with us. They are ready to help us. We have young players like George (Hemmings), Triston (Rowe), Jamal (Jimoh), Brad (Burrowes).

"Of course, they need time as well, to get progressively everything we will need for our demands, but they will play this year, matches, and of course, it’s our responsibility as well to try to support, help them, to get their development playing in Aston Villa."

Facing Crystal Palace

Palace have a very good record against Villa in recent matches and Emery's side has struggled tactically when facing the Eagles.

"The challenge with Crystal Palace is even more, because last year we couldn’t beat them, and of course because they are performing fantastic.

"They are competing fantastic, the coach is really a very good coach. They have very good players, even they are selling players - Olise two years ago, now recently, Eberechi Eze - but they are still competing very well, and still playing in their structure so, so strong.

"My expectation is again when we are with the ball they are going to push up, they are going to get a lot of man to man.

"This is the match we are going to watch on Sunday, and how we can perform knowing them. We have to try to change the result we didn’t achieve last year."

Poor Start to the Season

Villa have only managed one point from their first two matches and have played woefully. They haven't scored a goal yet, with the build-up play very slow and lethargic.

"Our start this season has been poor. One point from six, and of course, even being unbeaten at home, we are again remembering how we lost last year, points at home, drawing a lot of matches in a row.

"It was a good point against Newcastle for the circumstances (of) how we played and finished this match, but now, again, we want to be unbeaten and we want to be strong at home."

Busy Finish to the Transfer Window

It has been largely reported from the Athletics' Jacob Tanswell that Villa have always planned to be busy towards the end of the transfer window after knowing what players would have left the club. They have been constrained by the many financial rules in football and so have had to work smartly to sign more players.

"We are busy and we are involved in it the last days, because we have to try to improve our squad. We need to try and switch some players, they left, like (Jacob) Ramsey and Leon Bailey.

"We need now to try to join some players in our squad, helping us with their performance they can give us, so quick."

Marco Asensio is rumoured to be close to re-joining Villa permanently, whilst another attacker and defensive cover are being targeted.