Unai Emery’s warning to his Aston Villa stars as he bids to end terrible Molineux record… and Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler reveals birthday plans: PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE
A big weekend of Premier League action awaits and several managers are taking their press conferences today to preview the matches. Stay here with Daily Mail Sport for all the latest…
Emery out to win at Wolves…at last
Unai Emery has warned Aston Villa to avoid treating Wolves lightly due to his own poor record against the Premier League’s bottom club.
Emery has never won at Molineux as manager of Arsenal or Villa, losing three of his four games there and drawing the other.
‘We’ve been together three-and-a-half years, and we’ve drawn twice at Molineux and lost once,’ recalled Emery. ‘When I was at Arsenal, we were 3-0 down at half-time (before losing 3-1).
Unai Emery has seen Villa drop off the title pace with just one win in four league games
‘We beat them 1-0 earlier in the season and we didn’t deserve to win. They’ve lost some other games, against Chelsea and Bournemouth, where they haven’t deserved to lose. In their last home game, they drew with Arsenal, the best team in the Premier League and maybe the world.
‘Everything we have analysed makes us feel it is not an easy game, and it’s also a derby. They will want to show what they can do in front of their own fans.’
Tom Collomosse
Hurzeler’s birthday plans: pasta and Forest on TV
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler plans to celebrate his 33rd birthday by watching weekend opponents Nottingham Forest over dinner.
Relegation-threatened Forest host Turkish side Fenerbahce on Thursday in the second leg of their Europa League knockout phase play-off before travelling to the Amex Stadium for Sunday’s Premier League clash.
Hurzeler was presented with a cake ahead of his pre-match press conference and will spend the evening dividing his attention between friends, family, food and Forest.
‘I think it will be: here’s the iPad with the game and here’s my pasta,’ he said. ‘That’s how I expect the evening (to be), and sometimes conversation with others.
‘Definitely we will have a look at this game. Of course we already prepared for Nottingham but there are always new things you can see, you adapt.
‘It will definitely be a mix of having a good time, good dinner with my friends and family, but also watching a little bit of Nottingham Forest.’
Brighton snapped a six-match winless run in the top flight by beating Brentford 2-0 last weekend to ease growing pressure on Hurzeler.
Seagulls midfielder Yasin Ayari is pushing to feature against Forest following four games out with a dislocated shoulder.
