Emery has yet to consider Aston Villa as Premier League title contenders

Aston Villa have secured 11 consecutive victories in the Premier League and have truly broken into the 2025/26 Premier League title competition, yet so far, manager Unai Emery does not think like that.

On the morning of December 28, Chelsea unexpectedly lost to Aston Villa. This win extended Aston Villa's winning streak to 11 matches. Currently, Emery’s team from Birmingham trails league leaders Arsenal by only 3 points.

However, Unai Emery does not believe his team is currently strong enough to compete for the championship of the 2025/26 Premier League. Emery’s perspective on this matter is as follows: "Aston Villa are not exactly in the title race. We feel more like we are competing for a European competition spot rather than the Premier League trophy

We have played 18 matches so far, and there are still 20 more games ahead for us to keep pushing. Ahead of us are clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United. We must compete with them and maintain consistent performance throughout all 38 matches."

Aston Villa will face Arsenal in the final match of 2025. A victory would allow Villa to close the points gap with the Gunners. This opportunity is feasible given Villa's recent strong record against Arsenal. However, a defeat could risk losing their current position.

The challenge is huge, and Emery still believes Arteta’s team holds the advantage in the upcoming match. He commented: "The game against Arsenal is extremely tough. That’s undeniable. We all see that Arsenal performs very well at Emirates. The next challenge is the biggest test we will face because they are the strongest team right now in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

But we also have quality players, and I always try to set high demands for everything. Every match is a challenge, and playing away is even harder. This Wednesday (December 31), the challenge is the match against Arsenal, and of course it will be very difficult. But we will play with courage and spirit. Naturally, Arsenal are the favorites and have a great chance to beat us."