'I don't want to waste my time here!' - Aston Villa man determined to seize chances amid Champions League adventure

Unai Emery does not intend to waste time during his tenure in charge of Aston Villa, as he prepares to take them into UEFA Champions League action once again.

On the back of a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich earlier this month thanks to Jhon Duran's superb strike, the Premier League side are back in Europe this week against Bologna.

In the interim, Villa have moved to fouth in the top flight, level on points with Arsenal and just four behind leaders Liverpool, further underlining the strength of their success.

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The turnaround overseen by Emery since in 2022 has been nothing short of remarkable, but speaking before Tuesday's game, the Spaniard insists he will not rest on his laurels.

"I don't want to waste my time here, that is my message," he said. "We want to achieve the objectives and one of them is to play in the Champions League.

"It is not about playing there only because of some circumstances. I want us to stay there for a long time. You have to be resilient.

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"We want to be strong in the idea in our mind and create a strong mentality to always break barriers."

With two wins from two in the Champions League this term, Villa are currently well-placed to push for a top-eight finish in a revamped group stage format.

After Bologna, they have upcoming fixtures with Club Brugge, Juventus, and RB Leipzig before Christmas, with games against Monaco and Celtic following in January.