**What have you made of your Champions League campaign so far?**

"We are very motivated and we enjoy it and tomorrow it’s game six and it's very important because we can feel close to getting in the next round, but we have the opportunity to get in the top. It’s very difficult against RB Leipzig. At the beginning of the competition they were contenders more than us to be in the top eight, but they had a really hard schedule playing against a lot of very good teams.

"They don’t have one point but tomorrow there is a chance for them to try and be in the next round. I like matches like that because it’s key for them to get to the next round, playing with their supporters. It will be fantastic for them, how we can respond to this and how we can get our performances. It’s a really good match, I think we have to enjoy and try and get more experiences together and try and respond in this game.'

**How do you keep Watkins and Duran happy?**

"They are both very good strikers with different experiences. Watkins getting more experience in the national team and in Europe and being consistent and competitive always with everything we need on the field. Duran has big potential and progressively he’s getting better. Now he’s much better than two years ago. On Saturday he scored a very important goal for us. Those goals for a striker are very important for the team and for them, but they are committed to understanding each moment.

"The next challenge I have is to play with both. I will try again to play with both. We have to keep the balance, that’s the next challenge. The first is the team and tomorrow for them it’s an important match playing in Europe and the Champions League. This is the motivation we have."

**What can you learn about the last away game in the Champions League against Club Brugge?**

"Our expectation at the beginning was to try to enjoy and use the experiences we had last year. Even when we lost in Brugge it was very good to learn. Even being more or less our style very good, tomorrow it’s a new test. To be consistent as a team is our challenge in this competition and in the Premier League and trying to play every match focusing which we need to get our performances and improve with the players and the team. This is the idea I have with the players and the team."

**Do you see this game as a building block to future growth?**

"Our expectation at the beginning was to try to enjoy, try to use the experiences we had last year in Europe with another level. We are doing a fantastic way. Even when we lost away against Brugge, it was very good to learn how difficult it is the challenge we faced last year and this year. Tomorrow is a new test. To be consistent as a team is our challenge.

"To be consistent in this competition, to be consistent sharing with Premier League, trying to play every match focusing on the wishes we need to get our performances. This is how we can face our expectations in this competition and how we can increase our level and meet the demands we will face next week, next month, next year. This is the objective I have with the players, the team and with the club."

**Can you describe the importance of Boubacar Kamara in your team?**

"Kamara is a very important player because he gives a lot of balance in our structure. Tactically, he is a very intelligent player and when we need to play covering, keeping possession, he’s one player we have to continue the process with him. When we arrived here two years ago, his process was being fantastic and he got injured. He’s starting playing even with a better level than he had before his injury.

"For the squad and for the players when we needed to sign a player like Onana in the summer it was because we lost a lot of balance when we lost Kamara. Now with Kamara, Barkley, Onana and Tielemans and sometimes playing there John McGinn, we have very strong midfielders keeping us at the level we need and Kamara is one of those players."

**How strong has Lucas Digne been this season?**

"He is a player like every coach would want. He’s mature, very responsible, he wants to improve every day. Even when he’s playing matches, he wants to train more. When we are coming from the national team matches with two days off, he’s usually only accepting one day off and then he’s coming to train with us. He’s back with his national team, which is fantastic news for him and for us.

"On the field, he’s giving us a lot of moments, discipline defensively and offensively with the ball. His mentality is fantastic. He wants more and more. He’s a good example for other players, how he’s trying every day to train and improve – learning and listening and being humble.

"He played in Barcelona, he played in Paris-Saint Germain, he played in Rome. He’s a player whose career is very good. When we arrived here, his career was maybe going down. Again, he reacted fantastically with the demands we set here to get a new challenge for himself."

Unai Emery pre-match.



**How do you reflect on the last year?**

"It’s hard to put into words, everything has happened so quickly. The next challenges kept falling into my lap. I’m loving it, I’m enjoying it. This was my dream and ambition as a kid. These experiences are vital for me and there’s not a better manager to be alongside that pushes me to become the player I know I can be. There’s still a long way to go to become the player I want to be. I want to keep pushing and get to where I want to be. Hopefully I can do that with Villa."

**What do you want to achieve next?**

"I want to be an established Premier League player, which I don’t think I am yet. I want to be a consistent player in the national team and want to play on the biggest stages and be considered as one of the best players in the competitions. I know I can get there but there is a long way to go. There is a lot of learning, a lot of experiences I will have to get through."

**Why do you not think you're an established Premier League player yet?**

"I’ve not played enough games, I don’t think, to consider myself an established player. I need more consistency in my game, more games under my belt in terms of taking that next step and really cementing that Premier League status. That is why I made that comment. I still think there is more to come and more consistency in my performances, game to game and week to week."

**How important is it to have Emery's trust?**

"The big one is to keep going, not everything will be perfect and not every game I will be able to show what I am capable of, but I will keep going and keep persevering. I need to keep in the team and keep showing what I’m about. In football not everything is perfect but if I have the right attitude and mindset to keep going, the good will come of it, not just for me but in general for the team. I am only human but I need to stay level headed and keep sticking to my task."

**How difficult is the schedule?**

"I thought the Championship was hard but this is a whole new level. It’s difficult but that’s what recovery is there for. It is about eating, sleeping good and training right. It is about understanding your body better than anyone else. Everyone’s might look different and everyone uses different things but it is just about making sure you’re ready to go when the whistle blows.

"Every player is needed. It’s about stepping up and helping the team, that’s how you become successful in all competitions, which is what we’re trying to do, we’re trying to compete in all of them, trying to win as many games as possible. It is about understanding your body and using that to your advantage."

Morgan Rogers pre-match.