Aston Villa v Crystal Palace preview: Home sweet home as Villa target more success
The season might only be a month old but already Villa are on the brink of equalling a postwar club landmark.
Beating Crystal Palace tomorrow would be their ninth consecutive home league victory, matching a feat last achieved in the top flight under Graham Taylor in February 1990.
It is a run which began back in March with a scrappy 1-0 victory over Palace, courtesy of a Joachim Andersen own goal. Since then Unai Emery’s team have been pretty much imperious in front of their home support, conceding only two goals in the eight-match winning streak which is already the club’s best since the formation of the Premier League.
Little wonder Emery this week admitted to feeling “very, very good” about the current strength of the connection between himself, players and supporters at Villa Park.
“The atmosphere we had last year, the atmosphere we are having in the first matches we are having at home, is really very important, trying to make the players feel like I am feeling: comfortable, stronger,” he explained.
“They are supporting us in 90 minutes to be consistent with our idea, with our wishes in every match to connect with them. This great atmosphere is very important.”
In truth, equalling records is unlikely to figure highly on Emery’s list of motivations heading into a fixture which, quietly, feels a significant one early in the season.
A return of four wins from the first six matches could hardly be termed poor yet the manner of defeats at Newcastle and Liverpool last time out means Villa’s start, in the Premier League at least, has been no more than steady. With tests against Chelsea and Brighton on the horizon, a win over Palace would help keep the division’s early pacesetters at least in sight.
After Palace, Villa’s attentions will turn to the Europa Conference League and this next segment of the campaign, featuring seven matches in the space of 23 days, should begin to test the strength of a squad Emery believes is capable of competing in every competition.
That should be good news for those eager for more playing time, the likes of Youri Tielemans and Nicolo Zaniolo, though it would be a slight surprise if either was present in tomorrow’s starting XI.
Defender Diego Carlos is a doubt with the hamstring injury which forced his early withdrawal from the defeat at Liverpool, though Alex Moreno should feature in a matchday squad for the first time this season after returning to fitness.
“For me, the most important competition is the Premier League,” said Emery. “It’s the most difficult league in the world because every match is being very difficult.
“The first target we can take in the season is through Premier League. It’s 38 matches of trying to be consistent, trying to be focused on being a contender to play again in Europe. But of course, I want to raise our level trying to be competitive with the top seven teams that there are now.”
