Aston Villa news: Man United-linked Unai Emery bidding to equal career record against Bournemouth in EFL Cup

By Darren Plant | 27 Oct 2026 21:44, Last updated: 27 Oct 2026 21:45

Unai Emery can equal a career record when Aston Villa face Bournemouth in the EFL Cup fourth round on Wednesday night.

The Spaniard has been in the headline in recent days, a consequence of the speculation linking him with the Manchester United job.

However, Emery sent a message to the Red Devils hierarchy while attending the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday evening.

With the 54-year-old fully focused on life at Villa Park, he will now attempt to extend the club's recent impressive form across all competitions.

Emery is also on the brink of achieving something for only the third time in his career.

What record can Emery equal through Aston Villa visit to Bournemouth?

Remarkably, Emery has never recorded a defeat in 10 matches against the Cherries.

In three games in charge of Arsenal and seven with Villa, Emery has put together a record of seven wins and three draws.

Only versus two other teams - Lille and Rayo Vallecano - does Emery have a longer ongoing unbeaten streak at 11 fixtures.

Nevertheless, in four games at the Vitality Stadium, Emery has never overseen a team that has scored more than two goals.

At the same time, just seven goals have been conceded across the 10 matches in question, as well as four clean sheets.

This will be just the second time that Emery and Bournemouth head coach Marco Rose have met in a competitive fixture.

Villa ran out 3-2 victors in Germany when they squared off against RB Leipzig in the Champions League in December 2024.