Unai Emery has suggested that his Aston Villa should enjoy the challenge of trying to qualify for Europe during the closing weeks of the season.
In November, Emery arrived in the West Midlands with Villa staring at a relegation fight, the reason why Steven Gerrard was replaced in the dugout.
However, Villa has since collected a remarkable 42 points from 20 matches, scoring in each fixture and moving into the top six of the Premier League table.
With Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion each possessing games in hand on Villa, there is an argument that Emery's side should remain as outsiders to earn a place in a continental competition.
Nevertheless, that may change over the weekend with Villa playing fourth-placed Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon before Liverpool and fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur do battle at Anfield.
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Speaking at a press conference ahead of the trip to the Theatre of Dreams, Emery indicated that he was relishing the chance to secure a surprise return to Europe, encouraging his players to 'enjoy' the moment.
Emery told reporters: "We have to face the match on Sunday, enjoying the opportunity that we have.
"We are fighting with teams like Tottenham, like Liverpool, who played the final of the Champions League [in 2019], and Brighton, who are having an exceptional season.
"We have to be very focused, I like to play under pressure, it's not negative pressure. Every day, I have in my mind to try to be aware, if we relax, we can lose. They [the players] have to play with the same focus, the same improvements."
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Villa will visit the North West of England having put together a 10-match undefeated streak in the top flight, registering eight wins during that period.
As it stands, Villa trail United by six points, as well as having played two matches more than Erik ten Hag's side, and Villa are further motivated to end a 68-year streak against their upcoming opponents.
Villa last experienced European football when they suffered a 4-3 aggregate defeat to Rapid Vienna in the Europa League playoff round in August 2010.
That was remarkably the second successive year that Villa had lost to the Austrian side in the qualifying rounds of the competition.
Darren Plant
