Aston Villa boss Unai Emery says he is “choosing both competitions” as the club try to end the season with success in the Premier League and FA Cup.
Villa’s pursuit for a return to the Champions League through a top-five finish in the Premier League takes a back seat as they head to Wembley to take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final.
Emery is trying to end a 29-year trophy drought, going back to the 1996 League Cup, but is not prioritising the cup over their league ambitions.
A reminder of how we booked our place in the FA Cup semi-finals ✊ pic.twitter.com/yBECxDec6m
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 25, 2025
Asked whether winning a trophy is more important than Champions League qualification, the Spaniard said: “When you start the season you are trying to set objectives through four competitions, the Premier League, Champions League this year, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
“We are now still in two competitions, now we are focusing in each match in each competition trying to get our best, to be in Europe is one clear objective we have.
“The first way to get Europe is through the Premier League, but getting the trophy in the FA Cup.
“Now, we can’t choose only one competition. We are choosing both competitions strongly because we have two ways for our positive season to end.”
The FA Cup represents a realistic chance for Emery’s first trophy in English football and victory will send Villa through to their first FA Cup final since 2015.
But the Spaniard says the journey is more important than the destination.
“As a coach my challenge when I arrived here was to get some trophies along the way,” he said.
“We have an opportunity because we are in the semi-final, but there is a lot of work to do.
“When you are getting experiences and getting trophies, the most important thing I learned and I enjoyed, was the way and not the end.
“And how we are doing this year in the FA Cup is amazing, this is the process I want to enjoy.
“I want to enjoy the semi-final about everything we are going to do. Travelling to London, being together, preparing the match, meeting tomorrow morning, the atmosphere in Wembley.
The #EmiratesFACup semi-final schedule has been confirmed! 📺
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 4, 2025
“The objective is to win, but the process is really important.”
Emery’s only previous visit to Wembley as a manager was when he was at Arsenal, playing against Tottenham in a league match while Spurs’ new stadium was being built.
Asked what it meant to him, he replied: “Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. I am a coach. I love my profession, my work and to smell good stadium, good pitches.
“I like it, and tomorrow I will enjoy it. Of course, I have a huge responsibility to try to respond in good way with the players.
“But I’m so excited playing matches like tomorrow, and the possibility we will have.”
Villa are at full strength for the match against Palace, which will see Ollie Watkins and Marcus Rashford battle it out for a place in attack.
