Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest at Villa Park (kick-off 20:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Emery confirmed Amadou Onana did not take part in training after picking up a calf injury in the first-leg last week, and the defensive midfielder will "obviously not" be available for the second leg. However, he is "confident" Aston Villa have enough options in midfield positions to "still get a performance overall".
Despite not featuring against Tottenham on Sunday due to hamstring tightness, John McGinn has “trained normally” and should be available.
When asked if not picking the same starting XI in the past three matches has contributed to a run of three defeats in all competitions, Emery replied: "Yes, but we had some players out injured and we also needed to rest some players because they were at risk of getting injured."
He added: "It is always about getting the right balance in order to still get the performance. Sometimes we achieve it, sometimes we don't – that's football."
Villa having the opportunity to qualify for the Europa League final is "really something fantastic", given the side failed to win any of their first six games of the season.
Emery explained: "I am excited, 100%. I am so motivated. When I arrived here three-and-a-half years ago, it was a dream to be playing a semi-final in the Europa League."
On whether the players have learned anything from their previous cup semi-finals: "Yes, but this is the first time we are playing a match like this here. In the Conference League semi-final two years ago, the first leg was at home and the second leg was away. Last year, we only went as far as the quarter-finals in the Champions League. We did play in the FA Cup semi-finals last year, but even that was just one match in London."
Nottingham Forest "have the advantage" and "are the favourites" heading into the fixture, but he is "confident" the home supporters will bring the atmosphere at Villa Park.
He added: "I'm going to enjoy it. In fact, I'm enjoying it now. I would prefer to be here right now [talking to the media] than at home."
It will not be a failure if Aston Villa don't reach the Europa League final explained Emery: "To reach a semi-final is a huge achievement. To win a trophy is very difficult. It's not a defeat if we don't win a trophy. The objective is to always keep improving and make sure we have these opportunities in the present and in the future. We have the opportunity right now, but only one team is going to win. This is football."
He also doesn't believe this will be the final opportunity for this current group to win a major trophy at the club, as they will "set more challenges for the present and for the future" and they can still "be proud of everything" they have achieved as a collective in the past three years.
Listen to live build-up and commentary of Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest from 19:00 BST on BBC Radio 5 Live
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