Aston Villa

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery speaking to BBC Match of the day: "It's been an outstanding week and season, especially the way we finished. The last three matches, our focus was very important. We recovered our energy and quality to beat Liverpool. Manchester City and finish with 65 points and fourth in the league.

"A huge honour me to compete with Pep Guardiola. He is the best. I built my career a lot of time competing against him, especially in Spain. I didn't beat him. I came here to England, with Villa I could beat him.

"That makes me a privileged man to compete against him. The level he has - he is the best coach in the world. It is very difficult to prepare a game plan against him."

Listen to more from Emery on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

• Aston Villa have won back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time in 2026 – the Villans won five of their seven Premier League games this season against teams starting the day in the top four positions (L2).

• Ollie Watins is the first player in Premier League history to score a brace against each of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea in the same campaign.

• Since the start of April, Watkins (11) is one of only two players playing in Europe's big-five leagues with 10+ goals across all competitions, along with Harry Kane (13).

Shamoon Hafez
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa had already secured a Champions League spot for next season following their victory over Liverpool last time out, so could enjoy their day out in the Manchester sun after a week to remember.

Unai Emery's side came into the contest against Manchester City on the back of lifting their first trophy in 30 years by thumping German side Freiburg on Wednesday, a win that rubberstamped the remarkable turnaround in fortunes since the Spaniard took over at Villa Park.

The ex-Arsenal boss warmly greeted his compatriot Pep Guardiola before kick-off and watched a lacklustre first half, during which the much-changed visitors failed to get going.

But they restored parity immediately after the restart as Ollie Watkins stabbed home from close range before scoring a brilliant second after managing to stay onside.

The striker, who is expected to be understudy to England captain Harry Kane at the World Cup, heads to North America in fine form, scoring eight goals in his past 10 league games.

Aston Villa signed off their season with a 2-1 win at Manchester City.

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Pep Guardiola has named his final Manchester City squad after confirming he will step down as manager following this game.

The Premier League is gone and there is nothing to play for so fringe players such as James Trafford, Rico Lewis, Nico Gonzalez and Savinho are given starts, while topscorer Erling Haaland is given the day off.

Captain Bernardo Silva and John Stones both start in their final games for the club.

Man City XI: Trafford, Lewis, Stone, Dias, Ake, Gonzalez, Silva, Reijnders, Foden, Savinho, Semenyo.

Aston Villa will still be coming back down to earth following their brilliant Europa League triumph on Wednesday and Unai Emery makes numerous changes too.

Only England international Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Buendia and Victor Lindelof start from the midweek win over Freiburg.

Aston Villa XI: Bizot, Bogarde, Mings, Garcia, Maatsen, Lindelof, Luiz, Barkley, Bailey, Buendia, Watkins.

It is the last day of the Premier League, every side is in action this Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Manchester United - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Burnley v Wolves

• Crystal Palace v Arsenal - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Fulham v Newcastle

• Liverpool v Brentford

• Manchester City v Aston Villa

• Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth

• Sunderland v Chelsea

• Tottenham v Everton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• West Ham v Leeds - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Kick-off times 16:00 BST

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Everton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play West Ham v Leeds", for instance.

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Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Aston Villa left Manchester at the end of last season with a sense of frustration and failure.

Controversially denied a Champions League spot - Morgan Rogers' goal dramatically ruled out before Emi Martinez was sent off in defeat by Manchester United which cost them a top four place, external - Villa went back down the M6 fuming.

This time, days after their Europa League win in Istanbul against Freiburg,, external the mood is totally different.

Back in the Champions League - having guaranteed a top-five spot in the Premier League - and having ended a 30-year trophy drought with a European title, it is party time.

Fans packed Birmingham for Thursday's parade - following the 20,000 who made the trip to Turkey - with Villa potentially entering a defining period in their history.

They are still expected to sell a major player - Rogers the most likely to generate cash to comply with Profit and Sustainability regulations - and a summer of change is expected.

There is an acknowledgement the squad needs reshaping and several departures are expected so the transfer window is crucial to help Villa and Unai Emery carve their future.

Emery will be given the trust - as he has always been - to make the changes he feels are needed.

He has brought Villa the success they so desperately craved and after last season's sense of injustice, which then bled into a wretched start this term, time is a great healer.

Jonty Colman
BBC Sport journalist

This one gets a little bit confusing, but Aston Villa's Europa League final win over Freiburg make things clearer.

Because England has won one of two Elite Performance Spots (EPS) for next season's Champions League, five Premier League clubs will feature in the competition instead of four. Like England, Spain have also guaranteed five clubs.

We already know that Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Villa are four of those.

But because of Villa winning the Europa League, there is a scenario where six English clubs qualify for the Champions League next term.

For that to happen, Villa would need to finish fifth.

Currently, they are fourth - three points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool. That means Liverpool would need to beat Brentford and hope Villa lose at City for them to overtake Unai Emery's team.

Fans of Bournemouth and Brighton will also hope this happens. If it does, it means one of them would join Liverpool and be a sixth English team in the Champions League.

The Cherries only need a point at Nottingham Forest to guarantee a top-six finish.

Meanwhile, the Seagulls would need to beat Manchester United and for Bournemouth to lose to finish sixth.

Liverpool only need a point to guarantee a top-five finish. But if they lose at home to the Bees, they would only not finish fifth if Bournemouth win at Forest and the Cherries overturned a six-goal deficit in goal difference. Of course, if they ended up in sixth then it would be Europa League and not Champions League for the Anfield side.

Whoever finishes in seventh will also enter the Europa League.

A win for Brighton would guarantee them Europa League football at least. If the Seagulls fail to win and Chelsea win at Sunderland, the Blues would overtake Albion.

Chelsea can also overtake Brighton with a draw, if Brighton were to lose by two goals and Brentford fail to win at Liverpool.

Whoever finishes eighth will enter the Conference League next season.

Got it?

Next season is going to feel really odd without Pep Guardiola in the Premier League.

News of his impending departure broke at the start of the week and he has been such a big part of our game with the way City have played, and the way he has changed how coaches think and how we all think about football.

I think Pep will go out on a high, helped by the fact Aston Villa will still be celebrating after their brilliant Europa League win.

City have got plenty to celebrate too, though. Yes, they missed out on the league title but they have still won two cups this season, which is not to be sniffed at.

Sutton's prediction: 4-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester City and Aston Villa meet at Etihad Stadium on Sunday with both clubs bound for the Champions League next season having experienced vastly different emotions this week.

Pep Guardiola's City handed the title to Arsenal with a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday, meaning they will have to settle for second place and a domestic cup double.

Adios, Pep

With Guardiola having confirmed his departure on Friday, the send-off for the Spaniard – plus playing legends Bernardo Silva and John Stones – will surely be a rousing one given the 20 trophies he has delivered in his decade-long reign.

Presently, City are on a 15-game unbeaten streak in the league, having lost just once since November. Erling Haaland has scored in each of the past five games and is extremely likely to pick up the Premier League Golden Boot yet again, leading Brentford's Igor Thiago by 27 goals to 22.

A third award in four seasons in England would see the Norway striker join lofty company – just four players have three or more wins to their name.

Victory against Villa would give City the best home record in the competition – the only time they've lost at the Etihad this season was against Tottenham Hotspur in their first such game of the campaign way back in August.

In this exact fixture, City have been dominant for the past two decades; they've won 19 of their past 20 league home games against the Birmingham club, emerging victorious in all 15 since a 2-0 loss in April 2007.

The Etihad's expanded North Stand – which is to be renamed the Pep Guardiola Stand – was tested successfully midweek, meaning this match will almost certainly set a new attendance record for the stadium.

Victorious Villa

Aston Villa could be forgiven for dismissing this game as an irrelevance given their emphatic win over Freiburg in Wednesday's Europa League final, the club's first major trophy in 30 years.

But where Unai Emery's side finish in the table has enormous ramifications for the other top-flight clubs chasing European football.

If Villa, currently fourth, were to end up fifth, it would mean a sixth Premier League team qualifies for next season's Champions League, albeit the two Europa League spots would be reduced to one (whoever comes seventh). The team in eighth would earn a spot in the Conference League.

England internationals Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers have been crucial to Villa's success this season and both were named in Thomas Tuchel's England World Cup squad on Friday.

Rogers has been involved in more goals this season than any other Englishman attached to a Premier League club. Watkins is joint-second, underlining the debt Villa owe to the pair.

Emery's men won the reverse fixture 1-0 in October through a Matty Cash strike, meaning Villa are looking to complete the league double over City for the first time since 1962-63.

They do, however, tend to struggle with the season's closer. The Villains have lost their final Premier League match of the season more often than any other side (16), including a 3-2 loss at the Etihad in 2021-22.

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Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has labelled Pep Guardiola "the only genius" in football before his final Manchester City game.

The City boss steps down after a decade and 20 trophies at the Etihad, with Villa's visit in the Premier League on Sunday his finale.

Emery started facing Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona side with Valencia in 2008 and knows the impact he has made on the game.

"He is the best coach in the world. He is a huge inspiration for other coaches. The only genius is him," he said.

"As a competitor, wow. Always, every day, I can understand more how he is managing his team through the chapters.

"It's my pleasure to play against Guardiola. It's my honour to face him.

"I was starting in Valencia and four years in a row we were competing - Barcelona and Valencia - and it was his best moment in Barcelona. His impact was crazy good and we were always finishing third.

"I didn't beat him. They were asking me in the press conference, you can't beat Guardiola. I answered, if I am keeping my position to face him it's really been fantastic.

"I beat him here after a long time with Aston Villa and always how he shows me massive respect is something I appreciate a lot."

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Ella Gibbs
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Sunday's final Premier League game against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium (kick-off 16:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• The Villa boss reflected on their season: "So happy, so proud. The priority, always, was the Premier League. And we were competing in both competitions. Of course, another two cups - the FA Cup and Carabao Cup - but, this year, we couldn't compete there and strongly focused on the Premier League and the Europa League."

• He added: "Our main objective - an ambitious objective - was to play in the Champions League. [It was] To get the Champions League position through the Premier League or through the Europa League, and we achieved it in both competitions. Really fantastic."

• On decisions around loan players Jadon Sancho and Douglas Luiz: "Not yet. Of course, now we're finishing the season, we are going to have some days reflecting and analysing individually each situation. And we will decide it. But not yet. Of course, I am so proud of every player and so happy how they were responding. This is my only objective. It's to try to improve more and to get better next year. And of course, the decision we will take is in this direction."

• On facing Manchester City on Sunday: "It's a fantastic match for us to play. It's in our hands. It's the best season we did since I have been here with the position in the table, and with the Europa League. Manchester City lost the league, but congratulations to Arsenal. Of course, Guardiola did a fantastic season. It's very difficult to win this title in the Premier League."

• On facing Guardiola, who it has been confirmed will leave Manchester City at the end of the season: "It's my pleasure to play against Guardiola. It's my honour to face him. I started facing him in 2008 and 2009, which was his best moment in Barcelona. It was amazing how they were playing and his impact was crazy good. We were always finishing third. And I didn't beat him. To face him is really fantastic. He is the best coach in the world - clearly he is a huge inspiration for other coaches. The only genius is him. And as a competitor he is: wow."

• He continued: "He's the best coach, but as well as a person, he's fantastic. I respect him because I think he's humble. He's always so respectful with me. I really appreciate him a lot."

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Thomas Tuchel has named his 26-man squad to represent England at the 2026 World Cup hosted in Canada, Mexico and the United States:

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), John Stones (Manchester City), Jarrell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen - loan), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Dan Burn (Newcastle), Djed Spence (Tottenham)

Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)

Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona - loan), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)

Alex Scott (Bournemouth), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Josh King (Fulham) and Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal) will also be part of the Three Lions' pre-tournament squad in Florida when they face New Zealand and Costa Rica.

The England boss added that one more player will also join his squad in Florida, but did not name the individual.

Tuchel said Bournemouth's Scott had an "outstanding" reaction to not being named in the 26-man squad.

"The commitment, the wish to be in pre-camp and just be a step closer to the team, was not even a question to him. This showed me his character and spirit. He gets a chance to take a step closer and to get a cap," added Tuchel.

Tuchel on his 26-man squad: "An exciting day for me and I think for everyone selected. From day one we were very clear that we were trying to build and select the best possible team, which is not necessarily to select and collect 26 of the most talented players. Teams win championships – it is as simple as that.

"What we're trying to achieve in the summer can only be achieved as a team. That in mind, we chose a very balanced squad. We chose three goalkeepers, plus Jason Steele (as training goalkeeper). I want to take the opportunity, and thank Jason for being brilliant, and thank Brighton for being so cooperative.

"We chose nine defenders for four positions, we chose seven midfielders for three positions, and we chose seven strikers for three positions.

"I can assure every fan in the country that we have 26 100% committed players with us. Who know their role, who are ready to buy into their role on and off the pitch and who are ready and committed to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish."

Follow reaction to Tuchel's England squad announcement here

Fulham's29-year-old midfielder Harry Wilson is among the players on Aston Villa manager Unai Emery's summer shopping list, after being given a £100m transfer budget following the club's Europa League triumph. (Mirror), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Listen to live coverage on BBC WM from Aston Villa's trophy parade

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