Unai Emery hails exciting moment as Aston Villa prepare for Ajax clash
Unai Emery hailed an "exciting moment" in his Villa reign as they prepare to face Ajax tonight.
Villa face the Dutch giants in Amsterdam in the first leg of their Europa Conference League last-16 tie.
It comes less than 72 hours before a mammoth Premier League showdown with Tottenham but Emery made clear he is targeting success in both competitions.
"To play here against Ajax is an exciting moment," said the Villa boss. "I don't know whether we are going to be better or worse than them but how we can compete against them.
"The football way I understand is to try to enjoy each moment and really be competitive in each moment.
"Tomorrow I think for Aston Villa, the club, the coaches, the workers, the players and the supporters, for this first leg and then second next week at home, it is a very exciting and motivating match."
Ajax, four times winners of the European Cup, have endured an underwhelming season but Emery continued: “Ajax always have my respect. It is an historic club in Europe, which has had great experiences.
“They are not having a consistent season but they are getting better. Tomorrow, in front of their fans, I think they are going to show their best performance.”
Emery also delivered positive news on Jacob Ramsey. The midfielder will miss tonight's match with the foot injury sustained in last weekend's 3-2 win at Luton but has not yet been ruled out of Sunday's clash with Tottenham, with Emery revealing the injury is not serious.
Ramsey previously broke his foot while playing for England at last summer's European under-21 Championships and then suffered a re-occurence when he first returned to playing in September.
