Emery eyes Sevilla friendly to keep Villa's momentum

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery is targeting Friday's friendly against Sevilla as an opportunity to sustain the form his side built before the international break, with a Premier League clash against Brentford and Champions League commitments on the horizon.

Villa won three of their four matches prior to the extended international window before spending a week training at Bodymoor Heath and a second week at a camp in Spain. Their stay ends with a friendly at Sevilla's Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Friday evening.

"Everything is good," Emery told VillaTV. "To have this break, working one week in Birmingham and the second week here in Spain, trying to keep our routine working because we need to keep the rhythm we achieved before the break and the good results we achieved."

Emery stressed the importance of maintaining sharpness across the squad, including those returning from international duty. "The players with the national team are working with their teams, but we must continue working here ourselves, trying to get stronger for the next challenges we will face."

The fixture carries added significance for Emery personally — he returns to Sevilla, the club where he won three consecutive UEFA Europa League titles. Villa are guests for the 15th staging of the Antonio Puerta Memorial Trophy Match, held in honour of the former Sevilla midfielder who died in 2007 shortly after collapsing during a game.

"Playing in the Antonio Puerta match is important for this cause," Emery said. "We want to keep our good form we had before the break, keeping the same mentality as last week when we were playing against Southampton."

Kickoff at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán is scheduled for 7.30pm on Friday.